DELHI - The Stamford/Jefferson (S/J) girls took home the Section IV Class D title Saturday at SUNY Delhi. The winning team clinched a 59-45 victory over Cherry Valley-Springfield (C V-S) and will continue on in pursuit of a state title.
The win marked the first Section IV title for Stamford since 2000 and the first ever basketball title for Jefferson Central School.
S/J came out of the gate with great defense, working a full court press and led up until the second quarter. However, S/J took the lead again, 27-24 when the halftime buzzer sounded.
According to S/J Coach George Nebesnik, the squad shined in the fourth quarter. After the Patriots lagged by five, the team pulled away following a time out and responded with three buckets.
Delaware League all-time scoring record holder McKenna Hoyt tallied 25 points in the victory, while teammate Tierney Turner contributed 24.
Turner, a senior, has been consistently an offensive force and steps in when opposing teams double down on Hoyt.
“Tierney Turner was a beast for us offensively,” said Nebesnik. “Her 10 points in fourth quarter really helped us put the game away.”
S/J Point guard Emily Eklund took care of the ball and distributed the ball effortlessly.
For the Patriots, Bailey Thayer scored 17 points, while Mackenzie McGovern contributed 15, respectively.
Nebesnik said as a whole, the game was “amazing.”
“Just getting to a sectional final is so hard,” he said. “It’s such an honor and privilege to have a team good enough to get there. Winning the section is an incredible feeling. We felt after we lost last year, this was going to be our year. It has been one of our primary goals and to accomplish it is a great feeling.”
“We’ve all worked so hard for this and to see the hard work paying off, it’s worth every hard day,” said Hoyt following the win. “We’re all so close and get along so well, we wouldn’t want to spend these long months with anyone else. Coach Nebesnik has pushed us and not only made us all better players, but better people too.”
“It is incredible that we won, it is so hard to believe,”Eklund added. “I am just so happy to be a part of this team and experience it with the best teammates and coaches. I truly think we are so successful because of our coach. He spends hours watching game films to make the perfect game plan for every game. We have also all played together for many years and we are going to leave everything on the court Sunday.”
S/J will play on Sunday March 15 at 10 a.m. in Binghamton at the Visions Arena against Copenhagen.