Holohan delivered yet again
Taylor Holohan has accomplished a great deal as a member of the Averill Park girls’ basketball program, including being part of three sectional championship teams and the 2022 Class A state title squad. During her illustrious career, Holohan has had a penchant for delivering monster playoff performances. The latest edition of Holohan’s postseason prowess was authored Saturday.
A senior forward headed to play next at Northeastern, Holohan produced 36 points, 17 rebounds, five assists and three steals as top-seeded Averill Park defeated eighth-seeded Mohonasen 74-40 in the Section II Class AA quarterfinals.
“The first one as a team, I don’t know if I was happy, but I am pleased. We could have done better,” Holohan said. “We are going to do better. We got by and that is what matters.”
Averill Park (21-0), ranked No. 1 in the state, returns to action Friday night at Hudson Valley Community College for a semifinal contest against No. 4 seed Niskayuna (10-11). Holohan has been a vital part of a program seeking a 10th straight sectional title with the previous nine coming in Class A. This season, the state implemented a six classification system and Averill Park was bumped up to Class AA.
“I feel like we have been looked down on because we are so small,” Holohan said. “It would be a big accomplishment to win it this year because we came up from a smaller class. There are a lot people that are not on our side and don’t believe in us. It is more motivation for us to say, ‘hey, we’re here and we’re no joke.’ It would be cool to win it.”
For her efforts, Holohan has been selected as the Times Union’s Girls’ Athlete of the Week for the period Feb. 19-25.
Holohan made her first
playoff appearance for Averill Park as an eighth grader. The coronavirus pandemic prevented both the 2020 and 2021 state tournaments from taking place. The senior wants to make the most of her final playoff appearance.
“I have been here so long. I don’t even believe that. I have been on the team five years now,” Holohan said.
Holohan says she does not consciously gear her game up once sectionals begin.
“I feel like it naturally happens. It is not like I don’t want to play this way from the beginning, but I just get a different feeling — especially now because this is it. If we lose, I am done forever,” Holohan said. “We are playing for ourselves and each other to get where our talent and effort can bring us.”