Late surge lifts Somers past Woodlands on Senior Night

SOMERS, N.Y. — On Wednesday, Jan. 21, Somers welcomed Woodlands, hoping to celebrate senior night with a victory. Early on, that seemed unlikely.

The visiting Falcons jumped out to commanding 15–2 and later 33–17 leads, threatening to spoil the evening. Each time, however, Caitlyn Mayfield steadied the Tuskers, keeping the game within reach and setting the stage for Ashley Kuchinsky to take over.

Kuchinsky delivered in spectacular fashion, pouring in 18 points in the fourth quarter — highlighted by a barrage of three-pointers — to fuel a thrilling 55–48 Somers comeback win.

Woodlands opened the game with steals, tough drives, a three-pointer, and a short jumper, quickly dampening the post-ceremony mood. Mayfield came off the bench to halt the momentum, scoring on a pair of strong drives to slow the Falcons’ fast start. By the 1:48 mark of the first quarter, Somers had trimmed the deficit to 15–6.

Kuchinsky then helped the Tuskers fully recover. After Kacey McCullough forced a turnover, the junior knocked down her first three of the night, helping Somers close the quarter on a surge and trail just 16–9.

The momentum briefly carried into the second quarter when freshman point guard Shea Mullins drilled a jumper off a Mayfield assist to cut the deficit to four. Woodlands responded with a decisive 9–2 run, however, taking a 25–14 lead into halftime.

The Falcons showed no signs of slowing after the break, extending their advantage to 33–17 with a trip to the foul line and a coast-to-coast layup. Once again, Mayfield answered, burying a three out of a timeout to spark another Somers rally.

Eli Contreras added to the push midway through the third, attacking from above the arc and finishing with a crafty underhand layup. Moments later, Mia Paulmeno jumped a cross-court pass and converted a contested layup to pull Somers within single digits.

Woodlands maintained control entering the fourth, but Kuchinsky’s runner at the buzzer cut the deficit to 10 and set the tone for what was to come.

After Woodlands scored first in the final period, Mullins ignited the comeback with a three-pointer. Kuchinsky followed, draining a deep triple and then racing coast to coast for a three-point play to make it 40–35.

The junior wasn’t done. Following another three out of a timeout, her defensive pressure alongside Contreras forced a turnover that led to a Mayfield runner, tying the game at 40.

Contreras then delivered the breakthrough moment, stealing the ball at midcourt and finishing the fast break to give Somers its first lead with 5:15 remaining. Though Woodlands briefly tied the game, the momentum had fully shifted.

Emma Flores found Mayfield wide open under the basket for an easy score, and Kuchinsky sealed the comeback with two more three-pointers to push the lead to 50–42. Her free throws in the final minute put the finishing touches on a memorable senior-night victory.