by TYLER HATHAWAY
PENFIELD, N.Y– There were multiple times on Thursday that it seemed like it wasn’t going to be Penfield’s (No. 4 Class AA NYSSWA) night.
The Patriots were outscored 16-8 in the second quarter and were down five points at halftime. They rallied to force overtime- three of them, in fact, but trailed in the final minute of each one.
But despite the adversity, and the pressure put on them by a strong Hilton (13-6) team, the Patriots didn’t flinch- they flourished. Olivia Lanning sunk two free throws in the final ten seconds as Penfield (17-1) won 65-63 in triple overtime.
“We could have packed it in at least four times,” said Penfield head coach Mark Vogt. “They (Hilton) had a lead in the overtimes, they had a lead near the end of regulation, and our kids just stayed in the moment. Their communication was good, and they made plays. A lot of respect to Hilton, they made a ton of plays, too. Fortunately for us, we made the last play, but that game could have went either way. And I know it’s going to help both of us going into sectionals, being in a game like that.”
“I was definitely a little nervous, but I knew everyone on the team had my back,” said Lanning of the deciding free throws. “Everyone on the court had my back, and I shook that off, and I said to myself, ‘You know what? Two more. I can do it.’ I was shooting them the entire game. I wouldn’t have made those if it weren’t for my team, I love them all.”
Lanning led all scorers with 24 points and added nine rebounds, an assist, a block, and a steal. 12 of her points came in the fourth quarter and overtime.
“We are a team, all 14 of us play together, and we knew going into those three overtimes that we were not gonna let up,” Lanning said. “Even being down at some points, we were gonna keep going, and that’s gonna push us into sectionals, and we are gonna grind until the end.”
“She works incredibly hard,” Vogt said of the senior. “She gets a lot of rebounds, and she gets to the basket really well, and she runs the floor. I think that helps (their offense), because it gets our shooters shots. We only had five threes today, normally we hit a few more, but when we get it inside, it collapses defenses, and on a penetration, there’ll be three kids in the paint trying to stop her, then you can kick it out.”
It’s the eighth straight win for a Patriots team that has already won in overtime two other times this season.
“I just think our kids, they don’t overthink things,” said Vogt. “They just like being together and they like playing hard. We beat Fairport in overtime twice, too. We know that in close games that we’re in it no matter what.”
“The way we came back after halftime, being down a few points, we fought back, and fought the adversity,” Lanning explained. “We came in and talked every huddle. We would bring it in, cheer each other on, huddle it up after a foul shot. It’s those things that help teams win games. And that’s why our team is (winning). Our chemistry is so great.”
In the first overtime, the Patriots found themselves down three with nine seconds left. Guard Jordan Rasmussen brought the ball up the court, drove in, and hit a trailing Alivia Duckles on the right wing, who connected on one of her career-high four three-pointers with just under three seconds left to force a second overtime.
“She’s smooth,” Vogt said of the freshman. “She just kind of glides, and she’s confident. She puts in the time to have success. When you put in the time and you have the success, you gain confidence. She’s done that for us all year.”
“It just felt great,” Duckles said about hitting the shot. “Just being there for my team, I just want the best for my team. So anything for that, I’ll do it.”
Duckles posted a career-high 16 points, seven rebounds, two assists, a block, and a steal.
“If I had an open gym at midnight, I would have at least Olivia Duckles there,” Vogt explained. “She loves basketball. That’s all she wants to do.”
In double overtime, a three-pointer by Hilton’s Jayleigh Esposito made it 58-56 with just over a minute before the horn sounded. A tough layup by Rasmussen knotted the game at 58, and a stop on the other end forced the game into its third overtime.
“(Alivia) Duckles hit a big three, Jordan (Rasmussen) had a big shot at the end of the second (overtime), (Olivia) Lanning had 24 points, went seven for eight from the line in overtime,” said Vogt. “Everybody contributed.”
The difference in the game was how Penfield controlled the paint on both sides of the court. The Patriots scored the majority of their points down low, and took advantage of drives to draw contact and get to the free throw line, ending the night with 32 free throw attempts. On defense, they out-rebounded Hilton and blocked eight shots.
“It’s all over our game plan,” said Vogt. ”We want to dominate the paint on both sides of the court. If teams can’t get into paint, you usually hold them to one shot. If we can get into paint, we usually get better shots on kickouts or on post boots, or you get fouled. It’s an inside out approach. We look inside, if nothing’s there, we kick it back out to the guards.”
“We always say rebounds win games,” said Duckles. “If you don’t win the rebound battle, you usually don’t win the game. So we value rebounding, its one of the most important parts of basketball. “
Adjustments made at halftime and throughout the second half and overtime helped Penfield overcome a 25-20 deficit through the first 16 minutes.
“In the first quarter, we let them have a few threes on us, and at halftime, we adjusted things,” said Lanning. “Our three adjustments were closing out with high hands, focus on rebounds, and off ball movement, and I think, by the end, we really got our hands up, and we closed out, we boxed out ,and we secured some serious rebounds that helped us win the game.”
Penfield has two games left before sectionals start. As it stands now, the Patriots are the top-seed in Class AA1.
“We want to win three battles every game,” Vogt said is the key to their success. “We want less turnovers, we want more foul shot attempts, because that means you’re getting the ball inside, and more rebounds.”
“We definitely just need to come out strong right off the bat of games,” Duckles said they need to get better at before sectionals. “We can’t wait until the second half to realize we need to get going.”
Rasmussen ended her night with 14 points, six rebounds, two steals, and an assist. Reegan Sercu paired seven points with 10 rebounds while supplying two assists, a block, and a steal. Sara Petre had a game-high 17 rebounds, and added four points, four blocks, two steals, and an assist. Riley Corcoran pulled down five rebounds. Bayleigh Freid blocked a shot.
Maddie Murphy paced Hilton with 23 points. Jayleigh Esposito hit five three-pointers and finished with 17 points. Amiyah Miles tallied 10 points. Amelia Sloan (7), Taylor Anne (4) and Allison Starwald (2) also scored for the Cadets.
“I’m so proud of them, because like I said, that game could have ended four different times and we just didn’t let it,” said Vogt. “These kids have a will. They’re all multisport athletes. Half of our team won a state championship in lacrosse last spring. They know how to be in big games, and it’s a cliche, but until the clock runs out you got a chance, and we proved that tonight.”
Penfield travels to Brighton on Saturday afternoon before facing North Tonawanda (VI) on the road next Thursday to close out its regular season.
Hilton’s final game is this Tuesday, a road tilt at Spencerport.
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