BY MIKE ROSE
HOPEWELL, N.Y. — Nobody told the Hilton Cadets it was their first regional appearance in program history. The Cadets showed no effects of the stage they found themselves on as they raced out to an early lead and never looked back, knocking off Section VI champion Starpoint in the Class AA Far West Regionals 59-43. Hilton advances to the Class AA Final Four seeking its first state championship in school history.
“Unbelievable group,” Hilton head coach Dave Heise said. “What I’ve said to this group all along is to be excited but don’t be surprised by what they’ve accomplished. Just a fantastic group, everybody does what’s necessary to win.”
Early on it was all Hilton. The Spartans took a 5-2 lead before the Cadets responded by closing the opening quarter on a 19-3 blur. Mallory Heise did the majority of the damage pouring in 14 points in the first eight minutes. She scored or assisted on 19 of the 21 points in the first.
“We really just played our game, keep the energy up and keep the ball moving,” Mallory Heise said. “We’re at our best when everyone touches the ball and when we play to our strengths, getting people in the spots they want to score and really just being confident in everything we do.”
Starpoint never recovered from the quick start as the Cadets led the rest of the night. Leah Thompson posted seven of her nine points in the second quarter as Hilton took a 39-18 lead to the break. Although the Spartans won the second half 25-20, the margin was too great to overcome. Madison Murphy delivered a pair of second-half triples for Hilton to help stem the tide. Mallory Heise tacked on eight of her game-high 27 points in the fourth quarter to seal it. She drilled five three-pointers on the night and added 10 rebounds.
“She (Heise) plays with pure joy, she plays the game for the right reasons,” Dave Heise said. “A tremendous two-way player, she scores on all three levels and has a work ethic that is second to none. I’ve been in sports for 45 years, she is the most elite worker I’ve ever been around. She’ll probably go somewhere tomorrow and get 500 shots up.”
“It’s taken a while to get that mindset,” Mallory Heise said. “It’s really the confidence that I get from the work I put in, my teammates around me, from the fans in the crowd. I just have the support from everyone around me it gives me the confidence and composure to do what I do.”
Murphy scored eight points for Hilton. Elena Graziano added seven points off the bench, all coming in the first half. Ava Anastasi led Starpoint with 11 points. Hilton finished the game shooting 44% from the floor and 43% from three-point range. They held Starpoint to 30% shooting from the floor. Dave Heise believed his team is built to play at this stage of the season.
“We play an incredible schedule, our league is incredibly tough, just to get out of our section was a huge feather in our cap,” Dave Heise said. “We knew we’d be battle-tested, looking at their schedule, no disservice to Starpoint but they didn’t play the schedule that we did. We’re willing to play any style to get the job done. The toughness is there mentally and physically.”
With the win, Hilton will play further into the postseason than any Cadets basketball team ever has.
“It’s really cool, especially with the team we have this year,” Thompson said. “I think it’s just the team dynamic we have that’s got us here. Everybody just supports everybody, nobody is tearing each other down.”
Hilton will face off with the winner of Central Square (III) and Averill Park (II) in the NYS Final Four on Friday at Hudson Valley Community College. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
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