The game was taking a familiar turn when Keshequa took an 11-point lead into halftime, then opened the third quarter with 10 unanswered points.
But this is championship basketball, where the unexpected can happen.
And dealing with the unexpected is what makes a champion, which is where the Keshequa girls are today. The Wildcats saw their 21-point lead slowly disappear but when the smoke cleared from a hard-charging York team, Keshequa stood as a 57-52 winner in Saturday’s Section V Class C2 championship at Finger Lakes Community College.
It was a big test for the top-seeded Wildcats (22-1), who beat the Golden Knights 66-29 back in December.
“I never felt that way,” said Keshequa coach Pete Piraino about the comfort level of his team’s 45-24 lead midway through the third quarter. “We have a lot of respect for York. They have great girls on their team and who knows? A couple more minutes and York might have pulled it out.”
Indeed, Keshequa was cruising. The Wildcats led by four at the end of the first quarter and Alicia Wood and Braelyn Isaman were the catalysts that carried that momentum through to halftime. Each scored eight points to help Keshequa take a 29-18 lead into the room.
And when Wood and Ava Thayer each hit 3-pointers to open the third and the Wildcats pushed their lead to 38-18 with a 10-0 run, the timeout that No. 3 York (18-6) called gave fans time to think about the Dec. 11 victory for Keshequa.
But late in the third, the Golden Knights found their groove. And Tessa Rodwell was the leader of that mission. The junior guard scored 10 of York’s final 12 points in the third quarter, including a 3-pointer at the horn.
That cut Keshequa’s lead to 12 points and the Golden Knights continued to hammer the deficit away.
“They found something that worked and that was Rodwell driving,” said Piraino. “Was I worried? Absolutely.”
York coach Kaitlin Kolb said the rally was not complicated. It was more about a change of heart than a change in scheme.
“We just had to dig deep,” she said. “It was all about effort. We tightened up on defense and found better looks on offense.”
And as Piraino pointed out, if the Golden Knights had more clock, the momentum clearly favored a different outcome. They cut the deficit to four points with 4:25 left and had the Wildcats on their heels.
“I was comfortable with the lead (of 21) but I knew we had to keep playing,” said Wood. “We just needed to keep our composure and keep playing Keshqua basketball.”
The Keshequa lead was down to four points in the final minute, but a pair of rebounds off York misses and two free throws by Riley Nageldinger gave the Wildcats the insurance they needed en route to their 10th overall Section V title.
“It felt pretty good to make those two, especially after I missed the others before that,” said Nageldinger.
Cruise or sweat, push or pull, a win is a win and a championship is a championship.
“It feels so awesome to win this,” Wood said. “I’m so happy right now.”
Section V Class C2 championship
Keshequa 57, York 52
KESHEQUA (22-1): Ava Thayer 1 0-0 3, Bree Benner 1 0-0 2, Braelyn Isaman 9 2-7 20, Ryley Benner 5 0-0 13, Riley Naegeldinger 2 3-6 7, Alicia Wood 6 0-0 12, Abby Wood 0 0-0 0, Quinn Powers 0 0-0 0. Totals: 24 5-13 57. 3-point goals: Ryley Benner 3, Thayer 1.
YORK (18-6): Tessa Rodwell 10 3-6 27, Brianna Parsons 2 4-7 8, Isabel Laney 4 2-3 11, Gianna McClain 0 0-0 0, Rylee Cuozzo 2 2-4 6. Totals: 18 11-20 52. 3-point goals: Rodwell 4, I. Laney 1.
All-Tournament team: Braelyn Isaman MVP (Keshequa), Kendall Parker (Dundee/Bradford), Alea Groff (Oakfield-Alabama), Brianna Parsons (York), Ryley Benner (Keshequa), Tessa Rodwell (York).
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