The No. 7 Marathon girls basketball team held off a pesky No. 10 Walton/Downsville team to win 49-42 in the first round of the Section IV Class C tournament Tuesday at Marathon High School. The Olympians advance and play at 6 p.m. Friday at No. 2 Greene.
Marathon entered the fourth quarter up 38-35 and Walton/Downsville came out on the ultra-attack as it looked to take over in the final minutes. The Warriors’ game plan was working, as they got several attempts from the free throw line throughout the fourth, but foul shots proved to be their downfall.
Walton/Downsville took eight shots from the free throw line in the first minute of the fourth quarter and only made one. The Warriors eventually managed to convert five attempts from the line, but they missed far too many –– going 5-for-18. Grace Walley went 2-for-8, Ella Beardslee went 0-for-4, Kennedy Williams went 1-for-2 and Alivia Conklin went 2-for-2. Walley converted the lone field goal in the fourth.
Marathon took advantage of its opponent struggling from the charity stripe and did what it had to do to close out the win. Anna Hoyt and Catherine Newkirk each knocked down a 3-pointer and Kendre Euson scored on a layup to give the Olympians a 46-37 lead with just over a minute left. Abby Ensign then drove the lane and scored on a wide-open layup. A minute later, Abby Ensign went 1-for-2 from the free throw line and secured a game-sealing steal to help give her team the win.
“It’s survive and advance,” Marathon head coach Beth Anne Duncan said. “(Tuesday) we really leaned on some seniors to step up in big moments.”
Duncan also showed she wasn’t afraid to use anyone on the bench throughout Tuesday’s game, primarily down low with starter Audrey Ensign out with an ankle injury.
“We always say, ‘Next woman up,’ and I always tell them that we’re blessed to be able to be able to have options,” Duncan said. “I played two JV players tonight and both stepped up and did well. Kendre also came in and scored a big bucket in a big moment. We’re in a great position as far as depth in our bench.”
It was a tale of two halves for both teams. Led by Abby Ensign and Addie Oram, Marathon came out firing. Abby Ensign scored 14 points and Oram scored all 14 of her points in the first half. Walton/Downsville always seem to have an answer, though. Walley scored 12 of her 16 points and Beardslee knocked down three 3-pointers. The Olympians led 31-30 at the break.
Marathon struggled a bit offensively in the second half, only scoring 18 total points, but they held Walton/Downsville to just 13. The Olympians made Walley work much harder for her buckets down the stretch. She frequently got to the line, but she struggled there and they held her to just one field goal.
“We did a little box and one on her in the first with Abby on her, but she was getting into these battles on the block, so we moved Addie on her,” Duncan said. “It moved her up a bit and Addie did a great job on her. Whoever was on the block did a great job with help side defense and knowing where she was too. We knew they were trying to get the ball to her.”
Abby Ensign led Marathon with 21 points. Oram added 14 points, Hoyt had nine points, Newkirk added three and Euson had two.
Marathon is happy to move on, but a tough test awaits in Greene. The Olympians have seen the Trojans once this year and proved they can hang right with them, they just need to play their game and avoid costly mistakes.
“It’s nice we got a look at Greene playing them already, but I’m sure they are going to be ready for us,” Duncan said. “The good thing is we know we can hang with them, we just need to clean it up. Hopefully our team knows that if they play their game, be aggressive and don’t be complacent on offense, they can win.”
BOYS BASKTBALL
No. 7 NEW HARTFORD 60, No. 10 HOMER 45
Homer got down 31-19 at halftime and couldn’t fully get back into the game after making it a 10-point game through three quarters. Max Franco and Kaden Durham led the Trojans with 15 and 13 points, respectively.
Wyatt Wilbur was held to seven points for Homer and Mitchell Earle and Tyler Van Etten contributed five points apiece. The Trojans finished their season with a 9-10 record.
No. 12 LAFARGEVILLE 52, No. 5 MCGRAW 40
McGraw trailed 30-17 at halftime and couldn’t generate enough offense in the second half to make a comeback. Jaydon Bassett paced the Eagles with 14 points, while Dylan Truman added 11 points on three made triples and Calob Sutton contributed 10 points.
Mason Allen and Riley Van Liew scored two points apiece for McGraw and Blair Mulcahy scored a point. The Eagles’ season ended with a 10-6 record.
No. 8 STOCKBRIDGE VALLEY 62, No. 9 DERUYTER 58
DeRuyter took a 29-24 lead into halftime but allowed 38 second-half points to end its season with a 4-15 record.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
No. 6 JAMESVILLE-DEWITT 58, No. 11 HOMER 20
Homer was held to eight first-half points and the Trojans were down 26-8 at the break. Lauren Franco led Homer with five points.
Kaylee Darling and Kennadie Taylor recorded four points apiece, Maddie Morgan knocked down a 3-pointer and Izzy Small and Lizzie McCloy notched two points each. The Trojans’ season ended with a 4-16 record.
No. 6 ALEXANDRIA 57, No. 11 MCGRAW 22
McGraw lost the second half 31-6 after trailing 26-16 at halftime. Heather Magee led the Eagles’ offense with 10 points.
Lexi McCall went for six points and Eden Sears, Heather Wilson and Casianna Vasquez all scored two points for McGraw, which has a final record of 6-10.
No. 5 UNION SPRINGS 39, No. 12 GROTON 27
Groton’s season ended with a 6-10 record.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
BOYS BASKETBALL
No. 10 Marathon at No. 7 Bainbridge-Guilford, 6 p.m. today
No. 14 Cincinnatus at No. 3 West Canada Valley, 7 p.m. today
No. 12 Whitney Point at No. 5 Dryden, 6 p.m. today
No. 13 Morrisville-Eaton at No. 4 Tully, 7 p.m. today
No. 6 Walton/Downsville or No. 11 Deposit-Hancock at No. 3 Moravia, 6 p.m. Saturday
GIRLS BASKETBALL
No. 9 Frankfort-Schuyler at No. 8 Tully, 5:30 p.m. today
No. 7 Mexico at No. 2 Cortland, 6 p.m. Friday
No. 7 Marathon at No. 2 Greene, 6 p.m. Friday
No. 6 Delhi at No. 3 Moravia, 6 p.m. Friday
WRESTLING
Cortland at NYSPHSAA Championships, 10 a.m. Friday at MVP Arena, Albany
