By BILLY HEYEN
IRONDEQUOIT, N.Y. — Alahna Paige missed nearly all of her warmup shots before Saturday’s second half. That didn’t stop Irondequoit’s senior star from coming out firing in the second half, though.
On the first possession of the third quarter, Paige sized up her defender on the right wing before dribbling left, rising up and nailing a 3-pointer. The next time down the floor, Paige stepped back from a similar spot on the right wing and drained another triple.
“Confidence is the main thing in basketball,” Paige said. “I always tell myself if I miss a couple shots, like in warmups, I always say in the game, these shots will actually fall — I’m just getting out the misses now.”
She barely made any shots at half, but @alahnapaige_ is still cooking. @PickinSplinters pic.twitter.com/LbNcckOcjr
— Billy Heyen (@BillyHeyen) February 29, 2020
Paige hit seven 3-pointers overall Saturday, scoring 35 points to lead top-seed Irondequoit over eight-seed Churchville-Chili, 54-45 in the quarterfinals of the Class A sectionals. Twenty-four of Paige’s 35 points came before halftime as Irondequoit jumped out early to a 24-point lead at the half. Despite some second-half cramps for Paige, the Eagles held onto the lead and secured a meeting with four-seed Canandaigua in the sectional semis.
“It was good to get the girls out there, adrenaline flowing,” Irondequoit head coach Scott Smith said. “… All hands on deck, you gotta be ready to play.”
Irondequoit’s sectional destiny this season was always going to be tied to Paige, who entered Saturday averaging a Section V-best 28.9 points per game. A four-year varsity player, Paige has known all year that her ultimate goal is a sectional title, one of the few things she hasn’t accomplished while becoming the Eagles’ all-time leading scorer.
Paige did what she could in the regular season to set Irondequoit up for success — games with 50 and 47 points, comeback wins, a No. 1 sectional seed. After a first-round bye, the stage was set for Paige, three wins between her and the celebration she’s been dreaming of.
Only 10 seconds into the game, Paige drove and flipped up a floater that got a friendly roll for 2. On Irondequoit’s third possession, Paige made a 3-pointer from the left wing. A few minutes later, she drove down the lane for another finish inside.
Paige’s first-quarter highlight came when she split a double team and drove all the way to the rim, where she finished despite a foul. After that make, she turned toward center court and flexed both arms at her sides.
“This year, she’s just taking games over,” Smith said. “She’s a leader, she’s a four-year varsity player. Her teammates love her, they support her, and like I said before, she’s the straw that stirs the drink for us.”
Alahna Paige @alahnapaige_ splits the double team, and-1. She’s got 10. @wieagles up 16-5. @PickinSplinters pic.twitter.com/BZpvkmNxtY
— Billy Heyen (@BillyHeyen) February 29, 2020
At the end of the first quarter, Paige swished a 3-pointer from the top of the arc, then she hit from the left wing moments into the second. Overall, she drained five first-half 3-pointers. Paige said afterward that she doesn’t go into any game feeling like she’s going to make a lot of shots — she just stays confident and it happens, she said.
Supplementing Paige in the first half were Irondequoit’s starting forwards, Morgan Nicholas and Drew Kemp. Nicholas scored twice in a minute off of offensive rebounds and put up all eight of her points before the break. Kemp added a layup off a bounce-pass from Paige, which the point guard demonstrated as she ran back down the floor.
“(Paige) can create and make other people better by creating space,” Smith said. “… Morgan and Drew did a great job underneath. Morgan really gave us a kick in the pants underneath the basket with some putbacks.”
A dime from @alahnapaige_ to Drew Kemp puts @wieagles up 33-12 with 1:20 until half. Paige demonstrates what she did. @PickinSplinters pic.twitter.com/uvRzcZVPgj
— Billy Heyen (@BillyHeyen) February 29, 2020
When Paige drained her two triples to start the second half, members of the Irondequoit boys team sitting along the baseline started asking for a “heat check.” But Churchville soon switched its defense, employing a triangle-and-2 zone where both of the two players in man-to-man guarded Paige.
That defense slowed Paige and the Eagles down as they were forced to go away from their top scorers. Then on a late third-quarter drive, Paige went down with cramping in her right leg. After working through it with a trainer behind the Eagles’ bench, Paige returned to the game early in the fourth quarter.
As Smith rotated in his reserves, the Saints made a push into the large deficit, with Sydney Postell’s 15 and Jade Distant’s 11 leading a comeback effort. Smith had been concerned about Irondequoit’s 10-day layoff heading into Saturday’s game, and he knew his substitutes might need to step up more down the line this postseason.
But because of what Paige had already done, the Saints’ late surge wouldn’t be enough. The last game Paige played in her home gym would be a win.
“This win was a really big win,” Paige said. “I feel like it boosted our confidence, and made us feel like we’re actually (able) to go to the next round and then even further.”
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