Mendon starts strong, holds off No. 2 Penfield to advance

By PAUL GOTHAM

PENFIELD, N.Y. — A 9-2 run to close the third quarter gave No. 7 Pittsford Mendon the separation it needed, and the Vikings went on to knock off No. 2 Penfield, 52-36 in Section V Class AA action, Friday night.

Eva Dixon scored five points while Sarah Hanfland and Kate Crowley added a basket apiece as Mendon opened a 42-29 advantage heading into the final eight minutes of play.

“We’ve played Penfield many times over the years and been up at halftime before we get rolled over in the third quarter,” said Mendon head coach Todd Julien. “Kids played with a lot of heart. I’m super-proud of them.”

Leading 33-27, Dixon connected on a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer. Natalie Mai set up Sarah Hanfland for a bucket that forced a Penfield timeout. Crowley and Dixon added baskets before the horn to end the quarter.

Julien credited his backcourt of Crowley, Dixon and Mai for their ability to handle Penfield’s defensive pressure.

“They played an amazing game, tonight,” Julien said of the trio. “Penfield used a lot of resource on the ball. If you can get by that first resource and make a couple really good reads off it, you’re going to get open shots.”

Committing just one turnover combined for the second and third quarters, the Mendon backcourt also limited Penfield’s chances in the open court.

“They were under tremendous pressure from long, athletic Penfield wings,” Julien said. “They were up to the task. They got through the pressure and usually we got pretty good stuff out of it.”

Friday’s win was the eighth straight for Mendon (18-4) which will face No. 3 Aquinas in the semifinals.

Eva Dixon creates a turnover at one end and finishes at the other to give ⁦@mendonGVBB⁩ a 21-11 lead in the second quarter. pic.twitter.com/oDUjMxp2CJ

— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) February 28, 2025

Sarah Hanfland gives ⁦@mendonGVBB⁩ a 30-24 lead early in the third quarter. ⁦@SecVGBasketball⁩ pic.twitter.com/3nG8fPheXo

— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) February 28, 2025

Eva Dixon goes the length of the floor and finishes. Heading to the fourth: ⁦@mendonGVBB⁩ 42 ⁦@mvogtpenfield⁩ 29 ⁦@SecVGBasketball⁩ pic.twitter.com/AeQLSMBWid

— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) March 1, 2025

Kate Crowley to Leena Mobeen for a jumper. @mendonGVBB pic.twitter.com/f2abUqhTvR

— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) March 1, 2025

“I wouldn’t say this win is bigger than any other, but it sure feels bigger right now,” said Julien who has guided Mendon to nine sectional titles in his 25 years at the helm. “This group, in my mind, is over-achieving. You can see we’re small. We kinda look like a JV team when we’re warming up.

“We over-achieve on the glass. We take care of the basketball, and we compete. We compete every day in practice. We competed tonight. I’m proud of these kids. As proud as I’ve ever been of a group of kids I’ve coached.”

Crowley finished with 13 points. Mai added 11, and Gabriela Esposito had nine for Mendon.

The Vikings opened the game on a 14-1 run.

Penfield cut the deficit to four at 28-24 heading into halftime.

Audriana Funk grabs a rebound and leads Emma Alexander into the open floor for a layup, ⁦@mvogtpenfield⁩ trails ⁦@mendonGVBB⁩ 33-27 with 3:41 remaining in the third quarter. pic.twitter.com/oU9r5lIztN

— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) February 28, 2025

Penfield’s Emma Alexander led all scorers with 18 points. Audriana Funk accounted for 11. The Patriots finished the year 18-4.

PENFIELD (18-4)
Emma Alexander 5 7-10 18, Aleah Petre 1 1-4 3, Cassidy Cone 1 2-2 4, Audriana Funk 2 7-8 11, Bella Cohoon 0 0-0 0, Bayleigh Freid 0 0-0 0, Sara Petre 0 0-0 0, Reegan Sercu 0 0-0 0, Olivia Lanning 0 0-0 0 TOTALS 9 17-24 — 36

PITTSFORD MENDON (18-4)
Sarah Hanfland 4 0-0 8, Eva Dixon 3 0-0 7, Leena Mobeen 1 2-2 4, Natalie Mai 4 0-0 11, Gabby Esposito 4 1-2 9, Kate Crowley 5 1-2 13, Lilly Larimer 0 0-0 0, Nora Graff 0 0-0 0, Camryn Hernick 0 0-0 0, Kendall Glantz 0 0-0 0 TOTALS 21 4-6 — 52

PENFIELD 9 14 6 7 — 36
PITTSFORD MENDON 16 12 14 10 — 52

3-point goals: PENFIELD 1 (Alexander 1); PITTSFORD MENDON 6 (Dixon 1, Mai 1, Crowley 2).