By PAUL GOTHAM
TROY, N.Y. — Credit Mike Brennan with the ability to turn a negative into a positive.
And this wasn’t any run-of-the-mill case of adversity.
On the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, the gym at Canandaigua Academy flooded.
The result? The boys and girls teams of Canandaigua Academy were forced to find alternative accommodations.
Neighboring Finger Lakes CC provided a gym for games while practices were held at another facility in the district.
It wasn’t until sectionals that Canandaigua hosted another team on its own campus.
“With the gym floor flooding, the way I sold it to the girls was ‘hey, this is going to help us when we’re playing at neutral sites.’”
That angle continued to pay dividends Friday afternoon.
Three players scored in double figures, and Canandaigua pulled away with a fourth-quarter run to defeat Section VIII champion Manhasset, 55-42 in the NYSPHSAA Girls Class A semis Friday at Hudson Valley Community College.
The win was a fourth straight on a neutral court.
On their fourth trip to the state semis, the Canandaigua girls clinched their first appearance in the state championship.
“It is surreal to go through all of that and get to the final game.”
Leading late in the third quarter, Canandaigua extended its defense and broke away from a single-possession game.
Mya Herman led Eily Hubler into the open floor for a layup that beat the third-quarter horn.
Mya Herman glances at the clock, catches Eily Hubler in stride to beat the third-quarter horn. @CAGrlsbball 32-26. pic.twitter.com/aH7MzHQ88k
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) March 17, 2023
Hubler open the fourth-quarter scoring and sparked a pivotal sequence when Hubler and Herman forced a turnover that Liv Schorr converted into a layup. Herman followed with a tie up on the ensuing possession.
“That’s exactly when it happened,” Brennan said. “The end of the third, early fourth.”
The defensive adjustment came with some reservation because of Manhasset point guard, Caitlin Barrett.
Big sequence for @CAGrlsbball Eily Hubler hits in the lane and then along with Mya Herman force an errant pass. Liv Schorr steal and layup. Herman then forces a tie up. 36-28 Braves early fourth. pic.twitter.com/DVb1TfowOn
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) March 17, 2023
“We switched defenses which I was nervous about because the Barrett kid is so fast. You start to pressure her, you can give up easy buckets.
“But I said, ‘I think we can play as a team and contain her a little bit. With that defense, we got a few easy buckets out of that.”
Kyleigh Chapman connected from distance to extend the lead to nine at 39-30. Julia Geitner’s wing three gave the Braves their first double-digit lead of the day at 46-36.
Herman followed with back-to-back layups off turnovers created by Canandaigua’s defense.
“Mya got so hyped up after that little run, I thought okay this looks like us now. I can’t say I was confident, but I felt good about where we were.”
Canandaigua (21-5) will play Section I champion Walter Panas in Saturday’s championship game. A 7 p.m. tip-off is scheduled at Hudson Valley CC.
Herman finished with a game-high 14 points. Hubler added 13, and Chapman had 12. Schorr (8), Geitner (6) and Macy Falk (2) rounds out the scoring for Canandaigua.
The Canandaigua girls reached the 2000 and 2002 state semis under then-head coach Johnson Johnson. The 2009 Braves reached the final four under Bob Guy.
Alexandra McIntire led Manhasset with 12 points. Nicoletta Tsiamis scored 11 and Lauren Perfetto, 10.
“I’m incredibly proud of my team,” Manhasset head coach Lauren Sadeh said. “I couldn’t have asked for more. Of course, we would love to be playing tomorrow in the championship, but it just wasn’t in the cards. But they didn’t give up. They never got down. They never were intimidated. Couple shots fall our way, we’re having a different conversation right now.”
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