MAHOPAC, N.Y.—Last Thursday night’s Class AA playoff clash between the Mahopac HS girls and the visiting Foxes of Bedford didn’t look anything like a No. 4 vs. No. 5 seed.
In front of a loud, full house in the Wolf Den, the Pac smelled a trip to the Westchester County Center, and they pounced on it from the opening whistle, devastating and dominating the Foxes in every phase of the game.
Mahopac basically won the game in the first quarter with its 18-4 flurry—with that lead bulging to 33-10 by halftime—on the way to a 61-36 victory.
The win put Mahopac (15-7) in the County Center for the second time in the last three years. Two years ago, Mahopac lost to Walter Panas in the semifinals under then-coach Mairead Hynes. The Wolf Pac was set to face the top-seeded Panthers (21-1) again in this year’s semifinals Tuesday (3/4). Panas, the two-time defending sectional champion, won a state title two years ago and lost in the state championship game last year by two points (64-62 to Catholic Central).
Tuesday’s winner advances to the Class AA final, set for Saturday, March 8, at 5 p.m.
Mahopac coach Jason Conklin said his team is well aware of what it's facing in Walter Panas, a winning machine in the five seasons Cadence Nicholas and Sofia Tavarez (now seniors) have been on the team.
“We know what we’re up against,” Conklin said of facing the Panthers, who have routinely been beating teams by close to 30 points (including Mahopac the last time the two played). “I want to have them mentally and physically prepared for that environment. From the beginning of the season, we’ve talked goals. Everyone wanted to get to the County Center. It’s amazing that we accomplished that. But we don’t want to just get there.”
Conklin said his team has to find a way to stay in the game.
“We’ll look for things to exploit, play Mahopac basketball,” he said. “The longer we can stay in the game, the better our chances.”
“Getting to the County Center was one of our goals all season,” senior captain Caily Salon said. “We got the job done today (vs. Fox Lane), our defensive intensity was up, and it feels amazing. We’re on a four-game win streak right now, and it feels really good. We’ve got some tough competition ahead—especially Panas—but we have some good defensive players, and if we keep our heads straight, I think we can be alright.”
Against Fox Lane, Mahopac led by as many as 33 (50-17) with under a minute to play in the third, led by a stat-sheet-filling performance from Giana Puckhaber. The Pac soph came up big with 14 points to go with 10 rebounds, three assists, three steals, and a pair of blocked shots. Salon grabbed 10 rebounds to go with eight points and two assists, Ashley Koch had 11 points and three assists, and Mady Ford added 10 points, two rebounds, and two assists.
“We controlled every aspect of the game,” Conklin said. “We jumped out early, and the biggest thing was we controlled tempo. And we got points off transition. We set the tone early.”
Conklin said Puckhaber’s performance came as no surprise. “That type of game has become the norm for her,” he said. “She set the tone. And Koch hit some quick, early shots and defended their best player. Our bench was amazing, and we had great crowd energy.”
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