Story Created:
Mar 3, 2011 at 12:06 AM EDT
Story Updated:
Mar 3, 2011 at 12:44 AM EDT
CHITTENANGO, N.Y. (WKTV) - The Whitesboro girls basketball team punched their ticket to the Section III Class A final, beating Jamesville-Dewitt 62-51 Wednesday, thanks to a great second half performance from Jen Deuel. The undefeated and top seeded Warriors will meet archrival New Hartford in the championship game, Sunday at 3:45 p.m.
Deuel stepped into a leadership role for Whitesboro because of the struggles of co-captains Allie Cady and Francesca Cotrupe. Cady scored 14 of her 22 points in the first half, but struggled to sink key shots in the second. Cotrupe found herself in foul trouble and spent most of the final two quarters on the bench, though she still chipped in 14 points.
The Rams kept the game within reach until the end thanks to a tough defense and a balance offense. But Deuel hit a number of big baskets in the third and fourth quarters. With the game tied at 34 in the third, Deuel broke the tie with a lay-up in transition. Later she stole a pass and brought it the other way for another hoop. In the fourth she got an offensive rebound off her own miss and put it back for two more.
"I felt I had to take over and bring it," said Deuel, who finished with 13 points. "My coaches kept telling me, drive, drive, drive, so I finally listened to them and I drove and it worked out good."
While the Warriors have defeated their next opponent, New Hartford, twice already this season, they know hoe dangerous the Spartans can be. Last season the Warriors were knocked off by their rivals in the Class A Quarterfinals at home.
NEWSChannel 2 Sports will have complete coverage of the Class A girls final, as well as all the Section Finals at the Aud all weekend, beginning Friday night through Sunday.
