Sports Archives — The Altamont Enterprise, March 1, 2012
Class C quarterfinals
BKW exits earlier than expected, losing to Hoosick Falls on Friday
BERNE –– A Class C title chance seemed quite promising for the Berne-Knox-Westerlo girls’ basketball team after it started the season 17-0. However, the team went 1-2 down the stretch, ending its campaign with a crushing loss to 13th-seeded Hoosick Falls on Friday in the quarterfinals.
After losing to Duanesburg in the Western Athletic Conference Cup finals on Feb. 14, the Bulldogs bounced back to beat Mechanicville by 10 points in the first round.
BKW led by eight points at halftime against Hoosick Falls, but collapsed in the second half, losing, 55 to 51. Hoosick Falls had upset forth-seeded Greenwich in the first round, and now claimed another upset against the Bulldogs.
“They’re playing really well at a very good time,” BKW Head Coach Tom Galvin said of Hoosick Falls this week. “I think they would be a very good team in our league.”
Hoosick Falls got 39 combined points from Nicole Marmillo (16), Carsen Williams (12), and Rachel Pine (11). Junior Mary Salo scored 20 points for BKW, but Section II leading scorer Liz Harvey could only muster a season-low 13 points for the Bulldogs.
“Honestly, I don’t know what happened,” Harvey, a junior, said this week. Her season total of 456 points may be a BKW record; she eclipsed 1,000 career points this year. “Nine times out of 10, we would have beaten that team, but we just didn’t have the right energy,” said Harvey.
In the second half, Hoosick Falls changed its strategy; BKW didn’t adapt.
“It never feels good to lose, but these girls did everything I could have asked for,” Galvin said.
Harvey is on pace to become one of the greatest BKW players ever, male or female, but Galvin told The Enterprise that Harvey would give up all her career points for a sectional title. When Harvey was breaking out as freshman in 2010, the Bulldogs made it to the Class C finals, but got clobbered by Greenwich.
“She’s not satisfied,” Galvin said of Harvey. “She’s already talking about next year and how we need to get better as a team.”
Galvin said that BKW “stubbed its toe” towards the end. The team was looking forward to playing number-one seed Hoosic Valley in the semifinals.
“The pressure hit us, but I’m not sure why,” said Harvey. “We didn’t want to let people down. This stinks, but it was an unforgettable time.”
In the end, BKW was serious about winning, “but life is tough and you have to move on,” Galvin said.
— By Jordan J. Michael