Panas, Put Valley Come up Short in NYSPHSAA Final 4

Panthers Fall in Class A Finals, Tigers Exit in Class B Semis

By Tony Pinciaro

WALTER PANAS players heard the whispers coming into the 2023-24 Varsity girls’ basketball season.

The 2023 Section 1 and New York State Public High School champions were referred to as ‘lucky’ by the naysayers. That did not sit well with the Panthers, who were also sectional finalists in 2022.

Panas wanted to prove a point and the Panthers did just that as they won their second consecutive Section 1 Class A title. But, Panas did not stop there.

The Panthers won two regional games and their semifinal against Section 11 champion Kings Park Friday in order to play for Saturday’s NYSPHSAA state championship. Unfortunately, an undermanned and exhausted Panas came up a basket short to Catholic Central of Troy (Section 2), 64-62, in the state final.

Catholic Central is one of four catholic schools to win state titles in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Girls’ Basketball Championships. Catholic advances to the New York State Federation Tournament to face the representatives from the Public School Athletic League (N.Y. City), Catholic High School Athletic Association and N.Y. State Association of Independent Schools.

Panas concludes its outstanding season with a 24-4 record.

“I think they really pushed harder,” said All-NYS Panas G Cadence Nicholas, who finished with a game-high 32 points after slapping 39 on Kings Park. “We were all just so exhausted. I guess they were more energetic toward the end, but we used all we had to the end.”

Catholic Central rallied from a nine-point deficit after three quarters (51-42) to stun Panas. The Panthers did have an opportunity for one final shot, but star G Sofia Tavarez was double-teamed as she crossed half court.

Tavarez, who scored 23 points, drew Catholic Central’s full attention on the final Panas possession because Nicholas had fouled out on a previous Catholic two-shot foul.

“Their defense was very physical with us,” Panas Coach Matt Evangelista said. “They had the three tallest girls on the court. We played through their physical play. We got outrebounded and they got some easy baskets off of that toward the end of the game, which was a huge benefit for them.

“I think we got a little worn down and we didn’t have the depth,” he added.

Evangelista pointed out that his team was without timeouts, so Panas did not have the opportunity to advance the ball to halfcourt.

Along with being in foul trouble in the fourth quarter, Panas was without third-leading scorer and all-around contributor Katie Hoffman, who was injured in the Johnson City regional game.

Despite the final result, Panas came away disappointed, but knowing how good it is.

“This season means so much that we made it as far as possible,” Nicholas said. “It’s so rare to get to the state final two years in a row. This just proves that when you set your minds to something you can accomplish it.”

Evangelista made sure he pointed out the positives to his team following the heartbreaking loss.

“I’m super proud of the girls for a lot of reasons,” Evangelista said. “The game was physical, we were in foul trouble, we were missing Katie and the other team was good. This team never quits. They kept fighting and pushing.

“I told the girls after the game that we were one or two plays short of being back-to-back state champions. This is literally the second best outcome to have in a season.”

Panas, which advanced to the state final with a 69-51 win over Kings Park, will be among the Section 1 elite again next year. The Panthers return Nicholas, Tavarez and Hofmann, as well as Kiara Williams, as they go for a sectional three-peat and the second state title in program history.
“I’m extremely excited about next year,” Nicholas said. “Just losing this game makes me want it even more next year. And it will be my senior year so I will leave everything out there.”

PUTNAM VALLEY was hoping that its third consecutive trip to the New York State Final Four was going to be the charm, but Utica-Notre Dame (Section 4) had other ideas.

The Catholic school from Utica held off a second-half charge to beat the Tigers, 57-47, in a New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class B semifinal at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy.

Notre Dame went on to beat Albany Academy for Girls (Section 2) in the state championship game.

Putnam Valley, which has won four consecutive Section 1 titles, concludes the season with a 19-7 record.

Even though the Tigers trailed the majority of the game, they were always within a two-three-possession margin.

“I think the first few quarters we allowed too many offensive rebounds,” All-Section senior G Nai Torres said. “I think we were going fine, getting the ball into the paint. They were beating us a lot on the hustle plays and 50-50 balls.”

Notre Dame carried a three-point lead into the fourth quarter. However, Notre Dame made a defensive adjustment in the fourth quarter to take junior F/C Jona Kobashi out of the game.

“They were packing it in in the fourth quarter, forcing us to hit outside shots,” Torres said. “We hit a few, but not as many as we could have used. Our offense runs a lot through Jona and I’m sure they watched film on us. They were also very active, lengthy and taller than us.”

Following an 0-5 start to the season, even Putnam Valley questioned itself. However, the Tigers realized they had to come together despite the loss of All-NYS Class B Player of the Year Eva DeChent to graduation.

“It was special, I think, the way we turned it around,” said Torres, who will attend Oneonta in September and also play basketball. “In the beginning of the season we played as individuals, then when we started working as a team, it showed as we went on a winning streak.”

Torres, along with classmates Ava Harman and Brianna Foody, concluded their careers as four-time sectional champs and three-time participants in the state final four.

“It means a lot to us,” said Torres of the four sectional titles. “We’ve been working up to this point for the last four years. It didn’t get any easier each year because of the target we have. It shows that all of the hard work we put in paid off.”

Kabashi led all scorers with 23 points. Torres had 12 and Foody added 11. Harman added four boards and two of Put Valley’s nine steals.

DAVID TABER PHOTOS