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EspañolPLATTSBURGH — Bolton had lost only two games all season. They had already defeated Schroon Lake/Newcomb two times and were ranked No. 3 in Class D in the state.
And the Wild Huskies came out determined and focused to defeat and upset the Eagles 45-27 in the Section VII girls’ Class D championship Saturday.
In the previous two meetings between the schools, SL/N had over a 15 point lead only to see Bolton claw back and win the contests. So the Wild Huskies knew they had to change things up.
“So the first two games, we knew that we needed to grind it out. But that mindset, like, we just didn’t quite have it fully locked, and they clawed back in,” Olivia Hartwell said. “Bolton’s a great team. They have two really good guards. Jaydnn (Egloff) is a great shooter, and they also have Ella (Hens), who’s also a great shooter, and then Maillie (Kelley), who just goes to the hoop, and she’s relentless ... but we knew that we needed to lock them down. So just being mindful of where they were on the court and boxing out.”
Hartwell led the way with an impressive 31 of her team’s 45 points. She credited familiarity with the court that helped her get in a rhythm.
As soon as she hit the first one, Hartwell said she knew it was going to be a good day.
“I knew coming into this game that last year, my best game ... all season was played on this court, so I was ready for it,” she said. “And I knew that it was going to be a battle at first, but if we just grinded it out, that we could put them away and not have to worry at the end about a close game.”
And that’s exactly what the Wild Huskies did. While it was just a five-point lead at the break, it ballooned to 16 points by the end of the third, effectively putting the game out of reach.
“We definitely stepped up on our communication, just talking and just listening to each other and just knowing where everyone is,” Carly Smith said. “We were just dialed in, kind of putting it in our hands, saying that you’re gonna play at our pace, we’re not gonna play at yours.”
That method worked as Bolton had only two field goals in the entire second half.
Now SL/N will take the experience they gained last year in sectional play to see if they can go further than before. Their first game will be against the Section II champion March 10 at Averill Park High School.
“I’m excited,” Hartwell said. “Like, this was the game that we were working towards, and now that we have it, I think this is all just extra bonus basketball, and I’m excited to have that, as it being our senior season. Anything that you can get is extra basketball, and that is just so fun.”
“I’m just so blessed that my season gets to keep going,” Smith added. “You know, not many teams are still playing basketball in March. Just gonna work hard and just make sure we’re dialed in and just keep going.”
Up next for SL/N is the Champions Challenge, which pits them against Class C champion Moriah Wednesday at 6 p.m. at CCC.
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SL/N 45, Bolton 27
Schroon Lake/Newcomb (45)
Thompson 1-2-4, Armstrong 1-0-2, Hartwell 11-5-31, Smith 1-1-3, Caza 0-1-1, Larabee 1-0-2, Bush 1-0-2. TOTALS: 16-9-45
Bolton (27)
Egloff 4-2-10, Kelley 3-2-8, Kennedy 0-2-2, Hull 1-2-4, Hens 1-1-3. TOTALS: 9-9-27
Halftime- Schroon Lake/Newcomb, 21-16
3 point goals- Schroon Lake/Newcomb (4) Hartwell 4