By PAUL GOTHAM
There was no need for a dramatic second-half rally this time.
Instead the Waterloo girls’ basketball team opened with a 12-0 run on the way to an 18-2 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Natalie DiSanto scored 24 points and Morgan Caraballo added 16 as Waterloo steamrolled to a 68-35 victory over Preston High (Catholic High School Athletic Association/CHSAA) in the finals of the 2023 New York State Class B Federation Tournament of Champions at Shenendehowa High School.
With the victory, Waterloo joined Pittsford Mendon (2019/Class A), Notre Dame-Batavia (1999/Class D) and Penn Yan (1986/Class B) as the only Section V Girls’ teams to claim a NYS Federation Championship.
“You got to be part of something that not many teams have been able to do,” Waterloo head coach Mike Bree said of the message he gave to his team after Sunday’s win.
One week after after claiming the first state title in Waterloo Athletics’ history, the Tigers defeated South Bronx Prep (Public School Athletic League/PSAL), 60-30 in Saturday’s semifinal to reach Sunday’s championship game.
“We just wanted to get one last ride for the kids to get to play together one more time,” Bree said. “There was a lot of emotion in the locker room.”
A year ago, Waterloo lost its only game of the season in the NYSPHSAA championship game.
“Last year’s heartbreak really kinda set us up for this moment,” Bree said of the 56-54 loss to Schalmont (II). “If we were fortunate enough to get back there, I felt pretty confident our kids were going to find ways to pull these games out.”
Bree admitted last weekend that he questioned earlier in the season if this year’s team could get back to the finals after losing to graduation a pair of four-year veterans in 6-foot-1 center Giavanna White-Principio and 5-foot-8 guard Macy Carr.
Seniors Caraballo and DiSanto along with Jazzmyn Lewis led the throughout the season for Waterloo (28-1) that has a combined 86-5 record over the past four seasons. Bree also noted the contributions of several classmates.
“We wouldn’t have won a state title without Logan (Amidon) and Davonti’a (Loucks) taking a big step forward this year, and McKenzie (Scutt) being as tough as she is.
“It’s a group where winning’s contagious. I never felt stressed in a game this year where I felt like we had to make a perfect play or we had to do something. I just felt like we were going to pull it out because of their toughness and their desire to win.”
Lewis had eight points in Sunday’s win. Scutt scored three. Amidon, Loucks and Maci Mueller accounted for two apiece. Addison Bree (5), Katelyn VanNostrand (3) and Emma Ansuini (3) rounded out the scoring.
“We didn’t hit a lot of shots this weekend, but we also took a different mindset into this weekend,” Bree said. “We wanted to take it serious and win, but we also wanted everyone to have fun and enjoy.”
Last Saturday, Waterloo erased a 12-point deficit heading into the fourth quarter and defeated Section I champion Putnam Valley, 58-48. It was the third game in the postseason that the Tigers trailed in the second half before winning.
The experience left the Tigers drained.
“We kept it pretty loose this week,” Bree said. “It’s such a high coming off the state finals. I don’t know if I could have practiced all week. We didn’t practice Monday. We didn’t practice Tuesday. We shot around for an hour on Wednesday and then had a couple light practices on Thursday and Friday.”
Waterloo’s win brought to a close what might have been the most successful (in terms of wins and losses) postseason for Section V Girls’ and Boys’ Basketball. Ten Section V teams combined for an overall record of 19 wins and 7 losses against opponents in NYS tournaments. Waterloo, Canandaigua (Class A) and Webster Schroeder (AA) led the girls to a 3-2 mark against Section VI opponents in the Far West Regionals. All three of those teams won state semifinal games (3-0). Schroeder and Waterloo claimed state titles (2-1) and with Waterloo going 2-0 this past weekend, the girls finished 10-3.
This was the eighth time in which Section V Girls’ teams have combined to win two state titles in the same year starting with Bloomfield (Class C) and Notre Dame-Batavia (D) in 1994 and continuing with Rush-Henrietta (AA)/ Pittsford Sutherland (A) in 2006, Newark (B)/Nazareth Academy (C) 2009, East (A)/ Elba (D) ’12, Bishop Kearney (C)/ Notre Dame-Batavia (D) ’13, Pittsford Sutherland (A)/Romulus (D) ’14 and Livonia (B)/ South Seneca (D) in 2016. None of those teams won a Federation title. The girls’ state tournament started in 1981.
This was the first time since 2014 that three Section V Girls’ teams appeared in the state finals. That year Gates Chili (AA) joined Sutherland and Romulus in reaching the championship game. That was the end of a four-year stretch that saw Section V have three or more teams in the finals with Gates, Waterloo, Bishop Kearney (C) and Notre Dame-Batavia reaching the finals in 2013, Penfield (AA) accompanied East and Elba in ’12 while Gates, Aquinas (B) and Gananda (C) all advanced to the state championship game in 2011.
At the same, Section V Boys went 4-1 against Section VI in the 2023 Far West Regionals with Victor (AA), Irondequoit (A), Newark (B) and Avoca/Prattsburgh (D) advancing. Victor, Irondequoit and Avoca/Prattsburgh won semifinal games (3-1). Victor and Avoca/Prattsburgh won state titles (2-1). Victor lost in the Federation championship (9-4).
Section V Boys’ have combined to win two (or more) state titles in the same year on five other occasions: 1989 (Lyons Class C/Avoca Class D), 1992 (Greece Athena A/Mynderse C/Notre Dame-Batavia D), 2005 (Palmyra-Macedon B/Sodus C), 2006 (Campbell-Savona C/C.G. Finney D) and 2009 (Bishop Kearney B/Avon C) since the tournament started in 1978.
Four boys’ teams reaching the state finals? That occurred in 1992 when, in fact, there were only four classifications. Section V teams played in each of the state finals with Pal-Mac reaching the Class B title game along with Athena, Mynderse and Notre Dame-Batavia. Section V Girls did not send any teams to the finals that year.
Sidebar: From 1989-1993 Section V Boys had a record of 16 wins and 4 losses against Section VI in the Far West Regionals. Section V claimed eight state titles during that period: Avoca (twice), Clyde-Savannah, Greece Athena, Lyons, Mynderse, Notre Dame-Batavia and Prattsburgh.
Another sidebar: On eight occasions Section V Boys’ teams have won four games in the Far West Regional including 1980 when Penfield (yes, Penfield. Don’t believe me. See for yourself right here), Rush-Henrietta (Roth), Lyons and Scio pulled off a clean sweep. In the early years of the state tournament, teams were selected by a committee.
Twice prior to this year, Section V Boys and Girls have combined for four NYS Basketball titles in the same year: 2009 (Kearney and Avon boys along with Newark and Nazareth girls), 2006 (Campbell-Savona and Finney boys as well as Rush-Henrietta and Sutherland girls). None of those teams won a Federation title.
The only boys’ teams to claim Federation titles: Lyons (1989), Charlotte (1983, 1984).
Five state-level championships in one year combined? That’s a first.
Victor falls in Federation semifinals
Garrett Clar scored 17 points. Griffen Hopkins had 10, but it wasn’t enough as Victor’s historical season came to an end with an 81-52 loss to Long Island Lutheran (Association of Independent Schools/AIS) in the NYS Class AA Federation semifinals.
“We’ll turn on March Madness next spring and we’ll see a lot of these guys playing,” Victor head coach Tyler Roberts said of the LuHi roster which includes UConn commit Jayden Ross and Godswill Erheriene who holds offers from Maryland, Georgia Tech, Arizona State and USC to name a few. “Top to bottom, they’re the most talented team that I’ve ever coached against, and they’re well-coached. They’re not just a bunch of good players on one team.”
Brennan Hopkins added seven for the Blue Devils in Saturday’s meeting. AJ Queri (6), Cam Ryan (5), Owen Dake (2), Jake Lucchesi (2), Justine Rosello (2) and Nick Leonard (1) also scored for Victor. Worth noting that the Blue Devils do not have one senior on the roster that won the program’s first sectional title in 45 years and first state title.
“It was nice to wake up and find it wasn’t a dream,” Roberts said of the program’s first sectional title since 1978.
Year of firsts
First state title in program history: Waterloo, Webster Schroder and Victor
First back-to-back state titles in program history: Avoca/Prattsburgh
First appearance in a state title game: Canandaigua
First occasion that Section V teams have combined to win the largest classification at the state level in both boys’ (Victor) and girls’ (Webster Schroeder) girls’ basketball.
End to a pair of eras
With Newark’s loss in the semifinals, it brought to a close Ron Ceravolo’s time on the Reds’ bench. The Section V Hall-of-Famer, who won 409 games during his 23-year career as head coach of Newark, has served as an assistant to Henry Kuperus the past few seasons. Earlier this year, Ceravolo this would be his last year on the bench.
“He’s one of my best friends, my mentor,” Kuperus said after Newark’s loss to eventual state champion Westhill in the Class B semis. “He’s not going anywhere, but he’s not going to be with me every day on the sideline. That hurts but he’s left me with plenty of tools in the tool box. I can’t be more thankful of him and everything that he’s done not just for Newark basketball but our Newark community. A statue needs to be made for him in Newark. I love the guy.”
Irondequoit’s loss to Tappan Zee in the Class A finals signaled the end of Chris Cardon’s 37-year tenure with the Eagles. In an ironic twist, Cardon was inducted into the NYS High School Basketball Hall of Fame the next day. His original induction date was rescheduled because of the pandemic. True to his self-effacing character, Cardon joked at the induction that how could he receive this honor after the way his team played in the finals the previous night. As if one loss could negate 523 wins including one state title and three state semifinal appearances.
💛LEGEND💙 pic.twitter.com/OJLnBZaFtV
— Irondequoit HS Eagles (@WIEagles) March 19, 2023
Like father, like daughter
Chris Battaglia won his first of four state football titles in the second year of his second stint as head coach at Aquinas. Codi (Battaglia) Mrozek followed in her dad’s footsteps and coached Webster Schroeder to its first state title in program history in her second year at the helm.
A few more to catch him, but 1 is enough to last a lifetime! 💙 pic.twitter.com/efwaAv0s2s
— Webster Schroeder Girls Basketball (@Schroedergbball) March 19, 2023
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