Late run lifts Blue Devils
Columbia scores final eight points to edge Duanesburg
DELANSON — In the midst of a massive shooting slump in the second half, Columbia needed someone to come through as a lead against Duanesburg had disappeared. Junior standout Alivia Landy listened during a timeout as coach Shay Harrison instructed her to catch a post-entry pass and make a quicker and more decisive move to the basket. That is exactly what Landy did, beating four defenders converging around her.
Landy’s basket ended an 0for-8 shooting start to the fourth quarter for the Blue Devils and sparked the visitors to conclude the game with the final eight points to emerge with a hard-fought 5552 girls’ basketball victory over the Eagles in a nonleague showdown of state-ranked squads.
“I am happy with that win,” Landy said.
The Blue Devils prevailed despite seeing Duanesburg senior guard Allison O’Hanlon pump in a game-high 32 points, including 23 points during the first half.
Columbia, ranked No. 19 in Class AA, improved to 12-6 overall with Suburban Council road contests remaining next week at Ballston Spa and Shaker. After shooting the ball at a 14-for-30 clip during the first half, the Blue Devils went just 2-for-28 over the first 12 minutes of the second half before Landy’s crucial basket that trimmed her team’s deficit to 52-49.
“What I told them in the locker room is when we got down five points, we could have folded,” Harrison said. “They were able to grind things out. This is a good pressure game to get us ready for sectionals. The girls really pulled through to get a quality win against a really good
team.”
Landy, who led Columbia with 23 points and 12 rebounds, also scored another difficult basket inside with 1:20 left for the final points of the game.
“I know what I can do. I’ve done that move a 1,000 times. It goes in,” Landy said.
“Those were some tough shots she made,” Duanesburg coach Chris Herron said of Landy. “We needed our help to be a little more aggressive.”
Duanesburg (13-5) had secured a 52-47 advantage on a 3-pointer from senior Hannah Mulhern, but the Eagles then went scoreless by missing their last 11 shots of the game over the final five minutes.
“We got the looks we wanted, but we didn’t hit them,” Herron said. “Overall, we had shots we wanted and played the way we wanted to.”
The Eagles are ranked No. 7 in the Class C state poll. The game Saturday marked the fifth contest against a Suburban Council foe this season with all of the opponents either being Class AAA or AA teams.
“The kids wanted these games,” Herron said. “We don’t care if we went 12-8. We wanted to get better and get the most out of these situations.”
Dropping a best-of-5 series usually means a season has ended, but Duanesburg’s 2-3 record against Suburban Council opposition is something Herron believes will prove beneficial when the Eagles begin their pursuit of the Class C sectional title later this month.
Harrison believes a win like Saturday’s triumph will be helpful as the Blue Devils prepare for the Class AA playoffs.
“We knew the talent they had and it was good for us to experience a game like this,” Harrison said. “Wednesday and Thursday, we worked on hedging. O’Hanlon is a great talent and she is a unique player to prepare for.”
Sarah Rainville, who scored nine points, and Maddy Marra handled the bulk of the coverage against O’Hanlon, who shot just 4-for-12 from the field in the second half. Mulhern finished with 11 points and Alex Moses contributed three points, eight rebounds and nine blocked shots.