By PAUL GOTHAM
PITTSFORD, N.Y. — Codi Mrozek knew what to expect when her top-seeded Webster Schroeder girls’ basketball team faced No. 5 Fairport in Wednesday’s Class AA semifinal.
The second-year head coach’s message to her Warriors proved to be prophetic.
Schroeder erased an early double-digit deficit then held off a late rally to defeat Fairport in overtime, 73-69.
“I sent my text to the girls today,” Mrozek commented. “I said ‘It’s going to be a roller coaster.’ We just had to ride the wave. We knew it was going to be highs and lows.”
Mariah Watkins scored eight of her game-high 24 points in the fourth quarter and overtime combined to lift the Warriors to a second straight sectional finals appearance.
Mariah. Watkins. 63-61 Schroeder pic.twitter.com/pN1JBS8DCQ
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) March 2, 2023
Following a 3-pointer from Addison Morgan to start the scoring in overtime, Watkins set up Ava Gallup for another triple before connecting herself from inside the arc to give Schroeder (21-1) a 71-65 lead. The junior guard iced the game three trips down the floor later with a pair of free throws.
“Every huddle it was ‘take a deep breath, take a deep breath, stay the course,’” Mrozek said. “And they did. They stayed the course. That ultimately was the wave we needed to ride.”
Overtime , though, seemed unlikely four minutes into the game.
Fairport’s Bella Pucci and Sarah Hirschler hit back-to-back treys on Fairport’s first two possessions of the night. Hirschler added four free throws while Ella Meabon converted a rebound and putback. The Red Raiders had a 14-2 lead with 4:10 remaining in the first quarter.
Ella Meabon grabs her own miss and converts. Fairport out to an early 8-2 lead. pic.twitter.com/KG61riceIl
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) March 2, 2023
“That first quarter we didn’t make anything; they made everything,” Mrozek said. “We had to settle in.”
Fairport extended its advantage to 13 when Hirschler scored with an assist from Meabon for a 19-6 lead.
“The talk was at every moment someone is going to step up. If you’re not scoring or you just gave up a basket, somebody else is going pick you up.”
Sarah Ferruzza and Bria Watkins, Mariah’s younger sister, scored five apiece in the second quarter, and the Warriors went into the locker room at halftime trailing 32-28.
The elder Watkins gave Schroeder its first lead of the game with a traditional 3-point play at the 4:23 mark of the third quarter.
Mariah Watkins gets in the lane for her second and-one of the third quarter. Schroeder 43-39. pic.twitter.com/ATEppgKPLk
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) March 2, 2023
“We knew at halftime if we could get a lead, we could take over. That was our goal. Get that lead even if it was one point, which it was. We got that one point lead. We knew it was our time.”
The lead stretched to double figures when Watkins stepped in a passing lane for a steal and finished at the other end of the floor. Gallup scored underneath, and it was Schroeder’s advantage at 53-43 heading to the fourth quarter.
“I just kept saying ‘Stay true to what we’ve done. We don’t need to do anything different. Stay true to what we’ve done. The shots are going to fall.’ And they did. They did. We just had to plug through that little wave.”
The final 12 minutes might have marked a coming of age for a squad that starts three juniors and two sophomores.
After Schroeder extended its lead to 14 at 59-45, Fairport rallied.
Sophia Lapp grabbed an offensive rebound and finished. Meabon hit a jumper then drove the lane for two more the next time down the floor.
Lapp connected on a pair from the charity stripe, and Buntley went the length of the floor for a layup. Meabon tied the game at 61 with 1:07 remaining in regulation.
Ella Meabon scores back-to-back buckets and lends a hand to an opponent. Fairport has cut the deficit to 6 with 2:37 remaining. Schroeder 61-55. pic.twitter.com/NWtiCqYBZL
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) March 2, 2023
It looked like Mariah Watkins had won the game when she split a pair of Fairport defenders and used the glass for a bucket with .7 left on the clock.
Buntley connected on a jumper off a sideline inbound play to send the game to overtime.
Instead of being deflated after surrendering the lead, Schroeder had a response.
“Unlike every other team, we don’t seniors. Every team we play has seniors where this is it for them. They’re going to give it all they got. We knew we had to stay consistent.”
Gallup and Bria Watkins scored 14 apiece in the win. Ferruzza added seven. Morgan and Mya Perales both scored six.
Buntley and Pucci scored 16 apiece for Fairport (15-8). Buntley also grabbed nine rebounds. Meabon had 15 points and four assists while Hirschler scored 11. Lapp finished with nine points and 12 rebounds. Jada Crocker rounded out the scoring with two points. Three of Fairport’s losses came against Schroeder.
Schroeder will play No. 2 Penfield (20-2) in Saturday’s championship game. The Warriors handed Penfield both of its losses.
Leave a Reply