By PAUL GOTHAM
WEBSTER, N.Y. — During halftime Tuesday night, Webster Schroeder honored its girls’ volleyball team that won the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Class AA championship this past fall.
One of two eighth-graders on that title squad also grabbed the spotlight on the hardwood for the Schroeder girls’ basketball squad.
Kenyatta Hart finished four blocks shy of a triple-double in leading host Schroeder (14-1/No. 14 NYSSWA Class AA) to a 69-62 victory over Hilton (12-4).
The 6-foot-3 forward scored seven of her game-high 22 points during a 17-9 run to help the Warriors erase a one-point deficit and go on to win their 14th straight game.
VIEW MORE PHOTOS FROM DENNIS JOYCE.
“She’s such a competitor,” said Schroeder coach Kevin Willmott. “You just don’t see it a lot of the time. When she gets in a game that is physical, she really turns it on. She’s done well as an eighth-grader. I’m so proud of how she responds.”
Hart scored six straight points to give Schroeder a 60-56 lead with 1:50 remaining in the game. She set up teammate Jenna DiMarco for a basket, then the Warriors converted 5-of-6 free throw attempts to push the lead to 11 at 67-56.
She led a balanced scoring attack that saw four different Warriors finish in double figures with Avery Kroening scoring 16, DiMarco adding 14 and Kylie Clement contributing 11.
Schroeder needed every bit of that offense to keep pace with and outlast a Hilton squad that connected on 13 3-pointers in the game.
“We thought there would be a lot of threes put up,” Willmott said. “We felt confident enough that our defense could weather that storm.”
Hilton’s Jayleigh Esposito and Amiyah Miles combined to hit four times from distance in the first quarter when the Cadets led by as many as seven points at 12-5.
Schroeder responded and Kroening answered with a three of her own. Clement opened the second quarter scoring with a bucket in the lane. Hart’s rebound and putback gave Schroeder a 19-18 edge.
Taking advantage of the attention that Hart draws, five different players contributed in the second quarter when the Warriors outscored Hilton by 11 to take a 33-25 lead into halftime.
“She’s good about picking and choosing when she needs to pass,” Willmott said. “Then it’s been teaching her teammates how and when to cut so that they can catch her pass.”
Schroeder took a 10-point lead on the first possession of the third quarter. The Warriors still led by eight when Olivia Fulkerson connected on a triple to make it a 46-38 game.
Hilton’s Maddie Murphy scored 12 of her 21 points in the fourth quarter. The junior guard grabbed a defensive rebound and went the length of the floor before pulling up for a jump shot and a 53-52 Hilton lead with less than five minutes remaining in the game.
Schroeder scored the next seven and did not trail again.
Hart grabbed 16 rebounds in the win. Clement finished with seven boards and five assists. Fulkerson handed out five dimes as well. DiMarco had seven rebounds and four assists.
Esposito scored 18 for Hilton. Miles accounted for 14.
The Cadets had won three straight and six of seven heading Tuesday’s contest. Their only loss during that stretch coming to Penfield, ranked No. 4 NYSSWA Class AA.
Hilton travels to Fairport on Friday for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff.
Schroeder plays at Spenceport on Thursday. That’s a 7:15 p.m. scheduled start.
HILTON (12-4)
Taylor Anne 1 4-4 7, Jayleigh Esposito 6 1-2 18, Ally Starwald 0 0-0 0, Maddie Murphy 8 2-2 21, Amelia Sloan 1 0-0 2, Selah Spry 0 0-0 0, Ava Heise 0 0-0 0, Amiyah Miles 5 0-0 14, Sam Korzenieski 0 0-0 0 TOTALS 21 7-8 — 62
SCHROEDER (14-1)
Avery Kroening 5 4-7 16, Brielle McCauley 0 0-0 0, Jenna DiMarco 4 6-8 14, Olivia Fulkerson 2 1-2 6, Kylie Clement 4 3-4 11, Kenyatta Hart 9 4-6 22 TOTALS 24 18-27 — 69
HILTON 18 7 18 19 — 62
SCHROEDER 15 18 15 23 — 69
3-point goals: HILTON 12 (Anne 1, Esposito 5, Murphy 3, Miles 4); SCHROEDER 3 (Kroening 2, Fulkerson 1).
Leave a Reply