By PAUL CIFONELLI
Haley Emmick carried No. 3 Penfield’s (11-3) offense at different points throughout the game and played lock-down defense to help the Patriots beat No. 2 Gates-Chili (10-4) 60-52 in the Class AA semifinals.
Emmick got Penfield going early on offense, scoring 13 of her team’s first 16 points. She finished with a game-best 22 points, but only seven of it came in the second half.
Haley Emmick has 9 of @mvogtpenfield 11 points, as the Patriots lead @GCSDSpartans 11-5 with 1:16 left in the first quarter. @PickinSplinters pic.twitter.com/m4sBUJhLE4
— Paul Cifonelli (@PCifonelli) March 11, 2021
Penfield coach Mark Vogt knew that Emmick, the Patriots’ leading scorer at 10.9 points per game, would come through when the team needed her the most.
“Big time players play big in the biggest games,” Vogt said. “I’ve been around 27 years and you don’t win the big games if your best player doesn’t have a very good game. She’s just consistent. She’s been that way for four years.”
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On defense, Emmick held Oakland University commit Miriam Ibezim to eight points, with six of those points coming in the final frame. Ibezim averaged 21.9 points entering the contest and was slowed down due to Penfield jamming up the lane.
“Haley is our leader and our best defensive player,” Vogt said. “Whether it’s a point guard or a post, we put her on the best player. What we wanted to do, because Ibezim is so tough, is really pack it in and on every catch we were running two down, so we were tripling down. She did a nice job of getting the ball out, but sometimes we forced her into a quicker shot.”
Penfield won the game in the fourth quarter by outscoring Gates-Chili 25-15 in the last eight minutes. This scoring outburst included a 14-for-18 showing from the free throw line, with Emma Blumenstock going 6-for-8 with a made triple.
“We’re good foul shooters,” Vogt said. “Emma Blumenstock is a tremendous floor general and at the end of the game she wants the ball and she’s going to knock them down.”
Before the final free throws were made, it was a back-and-forth affair consisting of 13 lead lead changes and 10 ties. Both teams held slim leads throughout, with nobody taking a lead larger than eight in the first three quarters.
.@mvogtpenfield is making a killing from the free throw line and leads 46-44 with 4:42 left, but this triple from Emily McManus keeps @GCSDSpartans in it. @PickinSplinters pic.twitter.com/4PmLBpWMdz
— Paul Cifonelli (@PCifonelli) March 11, 2021
Emmick’s 22 points represented the only Penfield player in double figures, but Blumenstock and Elisa Faklaris backed her up with nine points apiece. Eva Elliot netted eight points and Kennedy Cone scored seven. Grace Alexander (3) and Jackie Funk (2) rounded out Penfield’s scoring.
Paris Anthony led Gates-Chili with 15 points, but she played limited minutes in the second half due to foul trouble then fouled out with her team down 54-48 with 1:26 left in the game. Terah Echols added 14 points for the Spartans, including eight in the team’s 20-point second quarter. Maylee Kerns scored nine points, all in the first half, Ibezim had eight and Emily McManus contributed six second-half points.
Penfield advances to face No. 1 Bishop Kearney on Friday at 7 p.m. This is a rematch of last year’s sectional final, which the Kings won 54-44. Despite this, Vogt knows this is a new year, and one in which the team’s haven’t matched up before.
“They’re a different team and we’re a different team,” Vogt said. “We expect their best and they’re going to get our best.”
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