By STEVE BRADLEY
CANANDAIGUA, N.Y. – Three minutes and 29 seconds of basketball had been played in Saturday’s Class D Far West Regional when Notre Dame of Batavia’s Sofia Falleti walked toward the team bench after picking up her second personal foul.
Falleti, who had not scored in the contest, could only sit, wait and watch as the Lady Irish fell behind Sherman, 6-5, after the first eight minutes of action.
The junior forward, who averages 20.4 points and 9.5 rebounds per game, also received an earful from her father, Vinny, who is also the head coach of the Lady Irish.
“Before she walked out there for the second quarter, I said, ‘You are the best player on our team, you’ve got to show it,” Vinny Falleti recalled.
“‘Right now is your time,’ he continued. “‘If you want to be a big-time player, right now is your opportunity, you are either going to get a third foul or you can show them what you are made of, and she showed them what she was made of.’”
Did she ever.
Sofia Falleti scored 12 of her game-high 23 points in the second quarter as Notre Dame took a lead that it would not relinquish and fended off a pesky Warrior squad for a 47-40 victory at Finger Lakes Community College.
The Lady Irish, who lost to Sherman in the 2022 Far West Regional, improved to 4-1 against the Warriors in the state quarterfinals and advanced to Thursday’s 6 p.m. semifinal against either Copenhagen-III or Stamford.
Doing most of her damage inside, Falleti provided an immediate spark and helped stake ND (19-5) to a 21-14 lead at the half.
“When I went back in, I knew that I just had to play my game and focus on what I do best,” said Sofia Falleti, who did not pick up her third foul until midway through the fourth quarter.
The Lady Irish started fast in the third quarter and built a 31-16 advantage thanks to three-point baskets by Gianna Falleti and Quinn Boardman before Sherman responded with a 13-0 run capped by back-to-back three’s by Baya Oehlbeck that made it 31-29 with 2:02 remaining in the third.
“They’ve really faced a lot of adversity all year and I just kept telling them that, ‘you have to stay true to who you are, play your game,” Vinny Falleti said.
Sofia Falleti scored the final three points of the quarter and ND took a 35-31 advantage into the final eight minutes.
The Lady Irish extended the lead to 44-33 with 3:25 left on a three-point shot by Gianna Falleti, but Sherman used its pressure defense to rally and make it 44-40 in the final minute before Boardman converted a spinning layup and free throw for a conventional three-point play with 20.9 seconds left.
“We knew going in that there was not going to be anything easy,” Vinny Falleti said. “You just have to make sure that you are strong with the ball and make sure that your passes are crisp because if you are not, they are going to tip it and go the other way.”
Boardman finished with 10 points and Shirley Thompson added seven for Notre Dame. Emmersen Crawford and Oehlbeck both finished with 15 for Sherman.
ND will head to Troy in search of its third state title in girls basketball having captured the Class D crown in both 2013 and 1999.
“All of this is just a bonus right now,” Sofia Falleti said. “We got the goal that we wanted (by winning sectionals) and this is season three (regular season, sectionals, states) of our goals and we just need to keep pushing to get to those goals.”
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