Lakeland falls to Ossining 

No. 7 Lakeland trailed host No. 2 Ossining 20-14 at halftime before falling 47-26 in the Section 1 Class AA girls basketball quarterfinals Feb. 26.

“In the first half we stuck to our game plan which was getting back on defense and playing at our pace,” Lakeland’s Riley Waters said. “Ossining is extremely athletic and have very high IQ players who push the ball in transition very well. We were able to limit its transition point and made them set up in the half court, where we were able to guard.” 

Waters led the Hornets with 14 points. 

“Despite having a very aggressive and talented defender on me who played me tight, I was able to make moves to the basket and finish around the rim,” she said. “In big games I am able to stay calm and rely on my skills no matter who we are playing.” 

Lakeland coach Mike Auerbach said Waters generated offense for the Hornets throughout the game.

“Ossining is as tough as we've faced defensively on guards,” Auerbach said. “They're aggressive, physical, and athletic. Riley is a very smart point guard who is excellent at balancing, creating her own shot, and getting her teammates open looks and it was no different against Ossining despite how tough they defended her.”

The Hornets fell further behind in the fourth quarter as Ossining, the No. 28-ranked Class AA team in the state, outscored them 18-5 to pull away.

“In the final quarter their defense stepped up and they got a number of stops,” Waters said. “This led to them getting quick baskets that we weren’t able to recover from.” 

Auerbach said that defensively the team did everything the coaching staff could’ve have asked for.   

“Our main focus was defensive transition,” Auerbach said. “Ossining is a great open-court team. But we felt if we limited their transition points we'd have a chance of defending them well in the half court, which kept us in the game at halftime and through the end of the third. We ran out of steam in the fourth and never really got going offensively, which was ultimately the difference in the game.” 

Liliana Aguirre (6 points), Emily Hahn (4 points) and Carina Cannizzaro (2 points) also scored for a Hornet squad that finished their season with a 14-8 record. 

Aguirre, Cannizzaro, sisters Allie and Riley Waters will be the Hornets’ returning starters next season.

“The success we had this season was completely earned,” Riley Waters said. “Every player made strides this year to improve our team. Next season we are bringing back four starters that have now had years of varsity experience. Our success this year will motivate us to improve upon our record and strive to accomplish more in the post season. We hope to make it to the County Center next year, and once you’re there, who knows what could happen.”  

Auerbach said that this season was a big step for the Hornets.  

“To go from 9-12 a year ago, to 14-8 with a sectional win, plus gaining some experience deeper into the sectional tournament was exactly what we needed as a program,” Auerbach said. “Taking the next step as a program and reaching the County Center and beating the top teams in AA will certainly depend on a lot of factors, but we feel it's within reach.”