For the first three quarters of Monday’s Class AA girls semifinal between Mahopac and Nyack, it looked like the No. 4 Wolf Pac had found a formula for staying just a step ahead of the top-seeded Eagles.
Mahopac led 13-10 after one, 23-22 at the break, and opened its biggest lead of the game at nine points (37-28) with 2:11 left in the third.
But from that point on, the Eagles showed what a No. 1 seed can do, shutting down the Mahopac offense while embarking on a 13-0 run that put them up for good, 41-37, 1:08 into the fourth.
The Nyack run stretched to 22-5, putting the Eagles up 50-42 with 1:01 left. Mahopac got the deficit down to four (50-46) with 29 seconds left and, after Nyack missed two free throws, had the ball.
But the Wolf Pac took too much time setting up a shot that didn’t fall as the clock ran out on them in a 52-46 loss at the Westchester County Center.
As the Eagles closed the game on a 24-9 run from the time they trailed by nine, the Wolf Pac lost their rhythm. Shots that fell earlier wouldn’t drop, they couldn’t buy an offensive rebound and every turnover was turned into points on the other end.
“We thought we did a really good job of getting to the basket in the first half,” Pac coach Jason Conklin said. “In the second half, we weren’t getting those shots to fall, and we got some open looks on the outside (three-point range) that didn’t fall. All the free-throw shooting (24 trips between the two teams) in the second half also changed the up-tempo style we like to play. That was big.”
Conklin praised his team’s determination against a top team.
“Definitely a tough loss for the girls,” Conklin said. “But at the end of the day, all you can do is come out and put it on the line. They gave every last bit of effort. They (Nyack) are the No. 1 seed for a reason. But we gave them a scare. We wish we could’ve had a couple of those minutes back.”
Senior Ashley Koch, one of the Pac’s top defenders, had one of her best offensive games of the season for Mahopac with 14 points. Fiona Kelleher was strong with 13, while junior Giana Puckhaber had a big game, finishing with 12 points. Niamh Kelleher added five.
Mahopac (15-8) advanced to the semifinal after a 45-27 demolition of No. 5 Brewster in a quarterfinal game last Thursday (Feb. 26) at The Den.
Mady Ford led the Pac with 16 points, Puckhaber added 12 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, Fiona Kelleher had eight points and five rebounds and Niamh Kelleher had six points.
“The girls were ready,” Conklin said after the Bears had beaten Mahopac by two on their home floor just a few weeks earlier. “We were in control from the first half and started to stretch the lead in the second half. Giana really stepped it up, Mady has been coming through the last few games, and Ashley played great defense on their top scorer.”
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