Putnam Valley Meets its Waterloo in NYS Class B Semis
State-Ranked (No.4) Tigers Fall, 61-39, to Top-Ranked Indians in Final 4
By Ray Gallagher, Examiner Sports Editor @Directrays
TROY – When it rains it pours and when the deluge finally stopped, two-time reigning Section 1 champion Putnam Valley was fully drenched amidst its 61-39 loss to previously undefeated Section 5 champion Waterloo in Saturday’s semifinal round of the NYSPHSAA Girls’ Class B Basketball Tournament at Hudson Valley Community College’s swank McDonough Sports Complex.
Before losing in Sunday’s state finals, the state-ranked (No.1) Indians (26-1) forced the No.4-ranked Tigers (19-8) into a dysfunctional rhythm at both ends of the floor, forcing PV to shoot 5 for 23 from the field in the second half. And if that wasn’t bad enough, the Tigers shot a woeful 2 of 18 for the game from downtown and an equally inefficient 7 of 18 from the charity stripe. Adding to its issues, PV’s zone defense seemed out of sorts on the other end from the second quarter on, leaving uncommon soft spots around the rim. After a terrific start to the game, whatever could go wrong, did go wrong throughout much of the second half, which was unusual for a team that had seen so much go right since the start of the new year.
“We just couldn’t get into gear,” first-year Tigers Coach Don Hamlin said. “We tried to push them into that gear. We were very nervous to start the game. We just couldn’t push ourselves past ourselves. We just couldn’t find a way to grind through what we were going through, credit to (Waterloo). I don’t know, sometimes you get into a funk. I felt like in our last game we kind of got into that in the third quarter and pushed through it in the fourth. We just couldn’t find a rhythm. We were off the whole game. But those kids had a great season and I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
Still, as out of sync as the Tigers were, senior G Amanda Orlando drained a key three-ball to open the fourth quarter, then took a dime from senior F Natalie Mazza to score again, trimming the PV deficit to five, at 44-39 with 6:11 to play.
With half the town of PV seemingly in attendance, hope had been restored and the PV Superfans were in full throat again. Surely, the Tigers had one last run in them that might vault them to Sunday’s finals. But Waterloo put the clamps on Putnam Valley and closed on a 17-0 run, which forced Orlando’s five-year varsity career into a teary finish.
“They were a great team,” said Orlando, whose five-year legacy will be one of fearlessness. “We played with heart and were just happy to be here. We came to states and we had fun and that’s what it’s about, so we’re winners no matter what. I think we felt the pressure. We weren’t making shots we usually make. They’re a great team and it’s hard to push through those situations against a team that good.”
Waterloo C Giavanna White-Principio, the 6’1” 270-pounder, forced a ton of those issues. The senior center posed a physical presence the Tigers had not seen, forcing PV into haphazard finishes around the rim. She finished with 11 points (well below her season average) and 15 rebounds, but her economical existence in the paint was the main issue. Equally effective was the play of Indians’ point guard Jazzmyn Lewis, who divided PV’s zone and smashed the Tigers for18 points and four assists.
It was a close game in the first half with Waterloo holding a 24-23 lead heading into the break. Waterloo struggled from the field in the first half, shooting 36% from the field, making nine of their first 25 shot attempts. Things changed drastically after the break, though, when Waterloo went on a 20-11 run to open the third quarter.
PV junior G Eva DeChent kept the Tigers close with 18 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, five steals and five blocks in a well-rounded effort, but the URI-bound prospect drew a ton of attention in the second half and wasn’t as efficient as she hoped. She came out blazing in the first half, hitting 5 of 9 from the field for 12 points and seven boards. She made no excuses afterward.
“We just could not get the offense going in the second half,” said DeChent, a three-time All-Section selection.”Usually, our defense creates many offensive opportunities, but Waterloo made shots and made us pay when we did not rotate defensively quick enough. We could’ve played much better in the second half, so part of it is on us, and part of it was that they were a good team with good size, good shooting and they shared the ball well. We will be back next year.”
Orlando added 13 points and four steals while sophomore G Nai Torres netted six points despite foul trouble that had her glued to the bench for much of the second half.
Waterloo, which went on to appear in its first state title game since 2013, was denied its first NYS title when it went on to fall to Section 2’s state-ranked (No.2) Schalmont, 56-54, in the Class B finals. Schalmont, who defeated No.3 General Brown 52-42, secured its first NYSPHSAA title. All four teams in the 2022 Class B state semis were seeking their first state championship.
Ray has 33 years experience covering and photographing local sports in Westchester and Putnam counties, including everything from Little League/Travel Baseball to varsity high school prep sports and collegiate coverage. He has been a sports editor at Examiner Media since its inception in 2007.
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