Albany passes Ap test
Albany forces 30 miscues from Averill Park to get Suburban Council victory
The Albany girls’ basketball team forced 30 turnovers in a league win over Averill Park.
It was a sequence covering roughly 15 seconds and it encapsulated the Suburban Council girls’ basketball game between Albany and Averill Park on Friday night. First, Averill Park registered its 30th turnover of the game and Albany senior guard Jenna Citone made a ball fake and proceeded to drain her fourth 3-pointer.
Albany was not immune to miscues Friday, but its pesky defensive ways over 32 minutes did enough to continually disrupt Averill Park. The combination of junior shooting guard Ahniysha Jackson and Citone accounted for 10 3-pointers as the Falcons registered a 63-52 victory over the Warriors.
The Falcons improved to 4-0 overall and 3-0 in the Suburban Council as they forced Averill Park (3-1, 3-1), winner of five straight Section II Class A titles, to turn over the ball 15 times in each half.
“We have been working so hard on our defense and our conditioning to make sure that our defense was there tonight,” Albany coach Decky Lawson said. “The girls bought into the defensive effort that I wanted and it showed tonight.”
“Last year, they blew us out,” Citone said. “This year, we knew we had to come together and play tight defense and get it back.”
“Defense was the key for the game,” said Jackson, who returned to Albany after playing her freshman and sophomore seasons at Catholic Central. “That is our key for everything that we have is defense. Defense leads to offense.”
When the Warriors were able to actually initiate their offense, they often
scored or got to the foul line.
But there were far too many empty possessions to overcome.
“Right now, we’re a team that is figuring things out,” Averill Park coach Sean Organ said. “Tonight, we started two ninth-graders and a sophomore. Our kids are learning what it takes to give a consistent effort.
“Anna Jankovic struggled tonight with the turnovers. At the other end, she played about as hard as anyone we had out on that f loor. We’re going to take those mistakes, learn from them and not make them later in the season.”
Albany led 30-24 at halftime and Jackson got things rolling for the Falcons when she drained one of her six 3-pointers to push the lead to 33-24. Jackson (gamehigh 24 points and five steals) and Citone (season-high 18 points and five steals) knocked down seven 3-pointers after intermission.
“It was really great. We knew we had to hit big shots,” Citone said. “We were finding each other and really clicked. It is a good sight to see.”
When the Warriors were able to run an offensive set, junior standout Kelsey Wood usually got the ball. She led Averill Park with 22 points and 19 rebounds.
Wood converted a feed from younger sister Amelia Wood to cut the deficit to 38-32, but Jackson and Citone each buried 3-pointers.
The lead later ballooned to 55-39 early in the fourth quarter when Citone made her third 3-pointer of the game after another Averill Park turnover.
“We tried to pressure the guards a little bit, make them fumble the ball a little bit and it paid off,” Lawson said.
“As the game went on, we lost our composure and we did things we’re not capable of doing,” Organ said. “We went away from our game plan and that is a sign of youth.”
Jackson’s final basket came after she made her fifth steal. She overcame picking up two early fouls in the first quarter and stayed out of foul trouble in the second half.
“I have been coaching her since the third grade. To have lost her for a few years, I am absolutely happy I have got her back,” Lawson said. “I am happy that she is home. She is feeling comfortable and she knows exactly what my style of play is.”
Averill Park made just 17 of 56 shots (30.4 percent).
Despite the difficulties they had handling pressure, Organ applauded the hustle and effort turned in by Jankovic and freshman guard Michelina Lombardi.
“You can’t fault the energy or the enthusiasm from our kids, especially our younger kids,” Organ said. “There is a lot to learn from this game.”