By Jordan J. Michael

SCOTIA –– The girls from Berne-Knox-Westrlo might be young, but they certainly have skills.

The Lady Bulldogs’ basketball team advanced to the Class C finals with a 49-to-43 win over Lake George in the semifinals on Wednesday night in Scotia-Glenville. The team was last in the finals in 2004.

Freshman Liz Harvey, who scored 14 points for BKW, said that opponents always pick on the team for being young. But Harvey will be getting the last laugh because her team is the one playing for a championship.

“We don’t really see ourselves as being that young,” said Harvey. Kristin Depeaux is the Bulldogs’ lone senior. “Our skills can match up to the best,” Harvey said.

Junior Marian Bates, who scored 15 points on Wednesday, had similar thoughts. “It’s even more exhilarating to win when people count you out,” she said.

Head Coach Tom Galvin told The Enterprise that BKW was playing inconsistently during the middle of the season. The team surprisingly turned everything around. “This is special,” Galvin said.

Harvey pointed to a game at Canajoharie as a turning point for the team. In that game, junior Nena Ruiz suffered a concussion, but the Bulldogs had enough poise to come from behind and win.

“Our attitude shifted for the better after that and the rest is history,” said Harvey. “We weren’t scared anymore.”

Bark has bite

The second-seeded Bulldogs got to the semifinal round with a win over a pesky Fort Plain team on Monday in Berne. The Hilltoppers hung around for three quarters, but BKW pulled away in the fourth for the 57-to-44 victory.

Galvin breathed a sigh of relief after the win because BKW had an unexpected early exit in last year’s quarterfinal, a game that was also played at home. Also, the team hadn’t practiced in a week due to the massive snowstorm.

“We came out lethargic and I had a feeling we would,” said Galvin. “Not being able to play was frustrating.”

Perhaps the biggest surprise of Monday night was the play of freshman call-up Mary Salo. She recorded a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Now that Salo proved herself, Galvin won’t hesitate to put her out on the floor.

“I didn’t think I would be playing much at all,” said Salo on Monday. “I went beyond everyone’s expectations.”

On Wednesday, against the Warriors, BKW again came out a little slow. The Bulldogs had a 9-to-8 lead after the first quarter and eventually found its swagger in the second after Harvey and Bates hit back-to-back three-pointers.

“We put some pressure on them and that caused them some trouble,” Galvin said. “We stuck to our game.”

The Bulldogs hit a scoring rut in the fourth quarter, but Lake George couldn’t make a strong enough push. BKW made enough free throws at the end to ice the game.

“It’s a bigger atmosphere than usual,” said Galvin. “These kids tend to get a little nervous at times.”

The Bulldogs will face top-seed Greenwich on Friday at Hudson Valley Community College at 5:30 p.m. The Witches finished first in the Wasaren League and have a 19-1 overall record.

BKW is pleased with how far it has gone, but another step wouldn’t hurt.

“I think we’re all competitive by nature,” said Galvin. “Winning is really the only option at this point. I’m sure the other team is thinking the same thing, too.”