Border Country Sports-March 19th

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Good Morning! With the Border Country Sports Report, I’m Keith Harrington.

North Warren Falls in Class D State Semifinals 

With a little over two minutes to go I heard a Chapel Field fan sitting near me say, “Its’ over!” The fan could not have been more wrong. North Warren led the Lions by six at the time and seemed to be in control, but a late Chapel Field surge propelled them to a 47-46 victory in the New State Boys Basketball Tournament Class D semifinals. 

Trailing 46-45, a baseline drive and scoop shot by Chapel Field’s Leam Powell proved to be the winning basket after a last second attempt from North Warren’s Semaj Cuyler glanced off the rim. 

“Maybe they seen the finish line too early,” North Warren coach James Cuyler said after the game. “We had a couple missed opportunities. That’s what happens in championship games like this. You have to capitalize and if you don’t you leave room for the other team to capitalize.” 

North Warren jumped out to a 17-9 first quarter lead as Derrick Tyrell dominated the paint, scoring 11 points in the frame. 

The Lions used a 10-7 second quarter fueled by the 3-point shooting of Noah Swart to pull within 23-19 at the half. 

Chapel Field drew even after three quarters, then took a 36-33 lead early in the stanza. A basket by Sean Evans and a trey by Elijah Horge gave the Cougars a 38-36 lead, and they extended the margin to six with 2:10 to go, setting up Powell’s heroics. 

Swart led Chapel Field with 14 points. Jonah McDuffie and Mikey Bonagura contributed 11 points each. 

Tyrell finished with a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Cougars. Evans added 11.

Chapel Field is back in action this afternoon at Cool Insuring Arena to challenge Avoca-Prattsburgh in the championship game at 3 p.m.

Cuyler refused to let his team be down after the tough loss, choosing to stress the positive and look to the future. 

“I love them,” coach James Cuyler said of his squad. “We win as a team, we lose as a team. It’s nobody’s fault, it’s all our fault, including the coaches. We have to not sit here and mope about it. It’s hard for the seniors, because it’s their last game, but the juniors get up off your butt, put the work in and get ready to come back.”

North Warren finishes 19-6. 

Greenwich Falls to Defending State Champion Millbrook 

The Greenwich girls basketball team saw their outstanding season come to an end, falling to defending state champion Millbrook in the semifinals of the New York State Class C Girls Basketball Championships at Hudson Valley Community College. The win snaps a 26 game winning streak for the Witches. 

“We ran into a significant opponent. We knew we’d have our hand full, especially with their size,” Greenwich coach Jason Slater said. “They’re the defending state champs and we have nothing to be ashamed of. We had a heck of a season. Some people had written us off but the girls came together and kept battling. We were down to the final four. There’s nothing to be ashamed of.” 

The Witches led 10-8 early on, but a 7-0 run gave Millbrook the lead and a 20-15 lead after a quarter. 

The Blazers outscored Greenwich 17-14 in the second stanza to lead 37-28 at the break. 

In the third Millbrook began to pull away. The Blazers used a 20-5 advantage in the quarter to open a 21 point lead and Greenwich could not recover. 

Natalie Fox led Millbrook with 19 points. Emily Grassler added 18, Beth Bosan 15 and Hudson Heitman 10. 

Norah Niesz paced the Witches with 22 points. Grace Autiello contributed 16 and Brooke Kuzmich 10. 

Slater feels his team will be back for another deep run next year. 

Greenwich ends the season 26-1. 

19-3 Millbrook will play for their third state title in four years today.