By PAUL GOTHAM
TROY, N.Y. — Elba girls’ basketball took a six-point lead early in the fourth quarter, but Charlie Pangrazio’s squad could not hold off a late rally as the Lancers fell to Section II champion, Northville 42-34 in the NYSPHSAA Class D semifinals Saturday at Hudson Valley Community College.
Lydia Ross grabbed a loose ball and raced the length of the floor for a layup to give Elba a 31-25 lead. Less than five minutes of game time later, Elba trailed and did not regain an advantage in the contest.
Northville’s Hailey Monroe scored 14 of her game-high 22 during a decisive 17-3 run to close the game.
“We lost track of 23 (Monroe) a little bit,” Pangrazio said. “She’s a good player. They outrebounded us. That hurt us. They were getting two, three, four chances at the rim. That really hurt us. At the other end, we would get one shot and we were done.”
Monroe sparked the outburst with a corner 3 to pull Northville (21-3) within three at 31-28. After teammate Keira Mackey connected on a 3-pointer of her own for a 35-32 edge, Monroe scored the Falcons final seven points.
“We ran out of gas. I think all the excitement kinda got to us. Once we were down, we just couldn’t get ourselves back.”
Maddie Hall’s 3-pointer early in the third helped Elba match its largest lead of the first half at 25-18. The Lancers still held a seven-point advantage late in the third when Sydney Reilly hit a runner for a 29-22 lead.
The Lancers (21-5) managed just two field goals over the final nine-plus minutes of the game.
“When we couldn’t get the baskets to start falling for us, which it normally does, it was tough,” Pangrazio said. “Then, of course, we didn’t get any rebounds. With no second-chance putbacks, we really struggled with that.
“At the beginning of the season, our goal was to get to the sectional finals. To get here, we knew it was bonus time. The win in the Far West Regional was awesome. This team has well exceeded what we thought we would do. To me, this just sets the bar higher for next season.”
Reilly, who came into the game with 1,111 points, was limited because of an illness.
“She’s our catalyst,” Pangrazio said of the junior guard. “When she goes down, it’s tough for us.”
Hall led Elba with 10 points. Ross scored seven. Ava Chatt had six points and Reilly added five.
Monroe also grabbed 10 rebounds. Lily Klippel finished with 13 points and 17 rebounds in the win.
Northville will play Section X champion, Hammond in Sunday’s championship game.
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