TROY — Voorheesville had the winning formula on Wednesday night in a Section 2 Class B girls’ basketball semifinal matchup against Coxsackie-Athens.
The Blackbirds played exceptional defense and hit a whole bunch of 3-pointers, as the No. 1 seed prevailed 58-43 against the No. 5 Riverhawks.
“In the beginning of the year, the girls said that their goal was to get to Hudson Valley,” said first-year Voorheesville head coach Terrance Florence. “Over the course of the season, we had to adjust that goal to where it wasn’t just about getting here, but that we want to win at Hudson Valley. Those were the things that we talked about over the course of the season.”
Voorheesville is now set to face No. 2 Mechanicville in the Class B championship game on Saturday at 4:15 p.m. at Hudson Valley Community College.
On Wednesday, Voorheesville’s defense dominated in the first quarter, as the Riverhawks were limited to just two points in the period.
While Coscackie-Athens faced just a seven-point deficit heading into the second quarter, the Blackbirds’ ability to hit shots from beyond the arc allowed them to maintain a lead, as the Riverhawks’ offense eventually got going.
“I think some of it was definitely nerves,” Coxsackie-Athens’ head coach Sarah Wlodarczyk said of her team’s slow start. “I feel like the turnovers were pretty matched up in the first half, they would turn the ball over and then we would give it back. We just couldn’t capitalize. I think we had some trouble getting the jitters out.”
Those jitters may have been extended a bit by the pressure brought on by the Blackbirds, whose guards were relentless at mid-court.
“There were a few unusual turnovers for us in the first half that we don’t normally see,” Wlodarczyk said. “Their defensive pressure is something that we’ve been trying to prepare for. We had some of our varsity boys come in to practice to help us see that pressure. You can’t knock their hustle, and it definitely had an impact on our loss today, for sure.”
“The Tabakian sisters [Ava and Maddy] have been our engine defensively all year,” Florence said. “They just want to pressure teams, and they get people to seed up and go faster than they would normally want to. There’s also certain wrinkles we add in every game, and our girls have gotten really good at making adjustments in game.”
Voorheesville and Coxsackie-Athens matched up evenly in the second quarter, as both scored 13 points apiece, but the Blackbirds surged offensively in the fourth quarter, going on a 24-13 run to take command of the game.
“I think we were gassed, but overall, I’m not disappointed in the season that we had,” Wlodarczyk said. "But it is tough to simulate that defensive pressure they bring. That’s what wins games.”
Lana Orietas led Voorheesville with 23 points, as she drained five 3-pointers. Four of those came in the Blackbirds' explosive third quarter. Mia Carmody, who tallied 18 points, hit four shots from beyond the arc. Ava Tabakian nailed three 3-pointers, as she scored 10 points.
The trio combined for 12 3-pointers for Voorheesville.
While Coxsackie-Athens also had three players reach double-digits, it was limited to just one shot from behind the arc in the game. That came from Reaghan Hellen, who scored 10 points.
Annabelle Hagen and Baileigh Briski scored 11 points apiece in the loss. Hagen had seven of her points come in the second quarter, while Briski scored six in the fourth. Hellen also contributed five points in the fourth quarter, as the Riverhawks looked to cut down their deficit.
“Cutting it to 15, that’s not really an ideal spot to be in, but they didn’t stop playing,” Wlodarczyk said. “They played until the final buzzer, and for me, that’s all I can ask.”
While Voorheesville heads to the Class B final with a 15-7 overall record, Coxsackie-Athens ends its season with an overall record of 19-4.
The Riverhawks, who have four seniors, will also return four members of their starting lineup next season in freshman Annabelle Hagen, sophomore Reaghan Hellen and juniors Camryn Slater and Baileigh Briski.
“I don’t have to hope, I know they’ll be hungry. I have some underclassmen coming up, we have a sophomore point guard, a freshman and two juniors coming back,” Wlodarczyk said. “Those kids lead by example. They’re in the gym all the time and some of our younger kids are starting to follow suit. I have no doubt that after this blow settles a little bit, they’re going to be back on the hunt.”
Coxsackie-Athens will graduate seniors Julia Grounds, Aubrey Adamo, Kailey Brynda and Riley McDonald.
“All of them played a role, and our motto as C-A has been to leave it better than you found it,” Wlodarczyk said of her seniors. “Every year, our seniors have been able to walk away saying that it’s better than when they got here. This is the furthest we’ve been, it checks off another box, and we have high goals set for next season.”
Throughout the season, it was Briski and Hellen that were the Riverhawks' most consistent scorers. During Briski’s 20-point performance in the first round of the Section 2 tournament against Schuylerville, the junior officially joined the 400-point club for points scored in a single season.
In total, she racked up 433 points this season, averaging 20.6 per game.
“I’m so excited,” Wlodarczyk said of how much she’s looking forward to Briski’s senior season. “We try to pressure her in practice, and it’s tough. We’ll get the coaches on her, and it’s like magic sometimes what she can do with the ball. When you’re on the court trying to guard her, it’s tough.
“Her junior year was tremendous, and she really took form and took the team on her shoulders when we needed her.”
Voorheesville 9 13 24 12 — 58
Coxsackie-Athens 2 13 13 15 — 43
Voorheesville scoring: A. Tabakian 3-1-10, Voland 1-0-2, M. Tabakian 0-2-2, Woodworth 1-1-3, Carmody 7-0-18, Orietas 7-4-23. Coxsackie-Athens scoring: Grounds 1-2-4, Slater 2-2-6, Hellen 4-1-10, Hagen 5-1-11, DeRose 0-1-1, Briski 4-3-11. Team scoring: Voorheesville 19-8-58, Coxsackie-Athens 16-10-43.
