Somers Fights on to End in Loss to Hen Hud
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After upsetting Croton-Harmon in the first round, the Tuskers took the show on the road to Hen Hud and were again unfazed by the unfamiliar surroundings. A 27-21 lead late in the third had the 9th seed dreaming of the County Center, but unfortunately the lofty perch unraveled when a nightmare scenario ensued.
Hen Hud went on a 27-6 run, and the season came to an end by a score of 55-48.
Somers started almost as hot, though. Ashley Kuchinsky opened with a triple, Eli Contreras beat the press for a layup, and Caitlyn Mayfield scored a layup on a pass inside from Kuchinsky.
The duo hooked up moments later too. Moving without the ball, Mayfield received Kuchinsky’s nifty pass in the paint, and a 9-4 lead had the Tuskers flashing their ivory.
1:19 left in the first, the Sailors made good use of the time. Maria Ribeiro answered from downtown, and Kate Stratton’s put back at the buzzer dulled the Tuskers' dominant first period.
A 9-9 tie, the teams went back and forth for the first two minutes. First Mayfield didn’t let being hemmed in on the baseline by Ribeiro bother her. The junior sank a reverse underhand layup, and Somers regained the lead.
Not for long, Carleigh Ortiz turned a half court steal into a tie and that had Mayfield taking her turn. She put a spin move on through the paint, and the Tuskers led by two again.
Undeterred, seven straight Sailor points ensued. Elyse Smith answered with a triple, Stratton shook off a double team on the baseline for a short jumper, and Smith added a conventional three point play with an off balance dodge through heavy Tusker traffic,
Timeout for Somers at 18-13, Shea Mullins made the most of the respite. She took the space that Hen Hud gave her and buried a three at 3:24.
Nonetheless Hen Hud played big to keep Somers at a distance. Stratton sank one from the line after being fouled on a put back attempt and then the center blocked Contreras’ fast break run to the rim.
Contreras kept her head anyway. The sophomore beat the press again and her evasion did one better for Kuchinsky. Open on the right, the shooting guard received and had her second consecutive three.
In at 2:34, Somers let its defense lead them into intermission. First Emma Flores blocked Ribeiro’s breakaway layup, and on the inbound, Mayfield’s quick hands gave the ball back to Somers.
At 1:57, Mullins hit the accelerator the other way. Slowly bringing the ball up court, the freshman guard saw a lane and raced through to angle the ball off the board to close at 21-20.
Onto the third, the teams traded misses and turnovers for four full minutes. That is until Kuchinsky made the third time the charm too. After a Mayfield steal, Somers set up, and the Sailors not feeling the urgency, Kuchinsky took the space gladly.
She nailed the three, and a grand slam for Kuchinsky was next. This time Mullins was the impetus. The point guard ran down a long rebound, and up court, Kuchinsky came open in front of the Somers bench. Down going another, the bench exploded at 27-21.
Timeout at 2:40, the time was apparently well spent. Avery Motko answered with a three, and Smith rubbed it in. She exploded to the rim to cut the lead to one and had enough soft touch for multiple bounces to still drop through.
29-27 with eight minutes to go, Somers was soon pained by Deja Vu. Stratton got the ball inside and her drop also took a few bounces before falling through.
Contreras finally stopped the run with a put back at seven minutes, but Hen Hud sailed on. Smith at the helm, she crashed through three defenders and completed the conventional three point play.
On the other end, she drew a charge so no immediate Somers answer was forthcoming and then Motko brought down the house. She unleashed a rainbow in front of the bleachers and the perfect arc crescendoed to a 38-31 lead.
The advantage would eventually grow to 14 after a missed free throw by Ortiz. The ball came to Ribeiro and her launch from way downtown dropped like a dagger.
Somers fought on anyway. Scrappy defense led to several steals and points by Kuchinsky, Contreras and Mayfield made it 47-40.
57 seconds left, Hen Hud had to hit their free throws, and they did. The refusal to give in did not surprise Coach Kevin Rogers. “Believe, all they do is believe and play hard,” he said.
The reality still hit hard, and fighting back tears, Rogers wasn’t just rationalizing. “Success isn’t just measured in wins and losses,” he asserted.
Five great seniors on the way out, the coach assured the part they played, while he looked forward to the core that is returning. “We got a lot of good stuff to work with,” he concluded.
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