Panama’s Mandy Brink drives about a Hammond defender for the duration of Saturday morning’s NYSPHSAA Class D semifinal at Hudson Valley Neighborhood College’s McDonough Sports Complicated in Troy.
Photo by Mike Frame

Panama’s Kaitlyn Horton is defended by Hammond’s Sadie Sprabary for the duration of Saturday morning’s NYSPHSAA Class D semifinal at Hudson Valley Neighborhood College’s McDonough Sports Complicated in Troy.
Photo by Mike Frame

Hammond’s Landree Kenyon is defended by Panama’s Lilly Odell and Kaitlyn Horton for the duration of a NYSPHSAA Class D semifinal Saturday morning at Hudson Valley Neighborhood College’s McDonough Sports Complicated in Troy.
Photo by Mike Frame

Panama’s Mandy Brink drives about a Hammond defender for the duration of Saturday morning’s NYSPHSAA Class D semifinal at Hudson Valley Neighborhood College’s McDonough Sports Complicated in Troy.
Photo by Mike Frame

TROY – Panama had no answer for Ava Howie and Landree Kenyon on Saturday morning.

Howie, Hammond’s sophomore guard, scored 28 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and handed out 4 assists, although Kenyon, the Red Devils’ junior forward, scored 25 points, grabbed ten rebounds, handed out six assists, picked up 3 steals and blocked two shots as the Section X champions beat the Panthers 78-56 in a New York State Public Higher College Athletic Association Class D semifinal at Hudson Valley Neighborhood College.

“We didn’t have an answer for (Kenyon) and when we did attempt to double down low, they kicked it out to (Howie),” Panama head coach Dennis Hinsdale stated. “(Howie) hit some 3s from the prime of the essential. I watched 4 games and she produced possibly 4 total in 4 games.”

Section X has come to be a nemesis for the Panama girls basketball plan. From 2015-17, Heuvelton – led by 3-time Class D Player of the Year Paige McCormick – ended the Panthers’ season at the McDonough Sports Complicated.

“I usually stated when I left Clymer that I usually wanted to come back,” stated Hinsdale, who won a state title as the Pirates’ head coach in 2010. ” … I got my opportunity this year, we just couldn’t make it operate. There’s no shame in losing to that group. I’m proud of my girls. I believed they gave me anything they had. They played tough, but Hammond played a tiny tougher.”

Panama’s Kaitlyn Horton is defended by Hammond’s Sadie Sprabary for the duration of Saturday morning’s NYSPHSAA Class D semifinal at Hudson Valley Neighborhood College’s McDonough Sports Complicated in Troy.
Photo by Mike Frame

On Saturday, Hammond went 35 of 64 (54.7%) from the field, outrebounded the Panthers 41-19, and turned the ball more than just 5 occasions prior to the Red Devils went to their reserves late in the fourth quarter.

“On film, they looked slow. They didn’t shoot like that,” Hinsdale stated. “I knew we’d have problems on the boards, that was my largest worry.”

Senior Mandy Brink gave it all she had in the final game of a stellar profession at Panama, scoring 26 points although handing out 4 assists.

“I’m not going to judge her profession on 1 game,” an emotional Hinsdale stated of Brink. “She’s a hell of an athlete. She nevertheless has my vote for Player of the Year in Western New York and New York state. … She fundamentally carried this group. She produced coaching seriously uncomplicated.”

Hammond went up 11-two with 1:49 left in the initial quarter, but Panama was in a position to survive with seven of the final nine points of the period, which includes a banked three-pointer by Brink just prior to the buzzer.

Hammond’s Landree Kenyon is defended by Panama’s Lilly Odell and Kaitlyn Horton for the duration of a NYSPHSAA Class D semifinal Saturday morning at Hudson Valley Neighborhood College’s McDonough Sports Complicated in Troy.
Photo by Mike Frame

But the Red Devils – whose only loss this season was to the Section X Class B champion Gouverneur – started to pull away in the second quarter, thanks to eight second-opportunity points, and led 38-26 at halftime.

“I’m not positive how you defend a fadeaway jump shot. I give that girl a lot of credit … that is 1 difficult shot to make regularly,” Hinsdale stated of Kenyon, who scored 11 points for the duration of the second quarter. “You may be in a position to get 1 out of seven or eight, but she shot it regularly. We didn’t have an answer for it.”

A 9- Hammond run to open the third quarter, which includes 5 points from Howie, produced it 47-26 prior to Panama sophomore Kaitlyn Horton stopped the run with a pair of totally free throws.

Brink twice produced it a 16-point game, initial with a three-pointer and then with an old-fashioned 3-point play, but the game was currently obtaining away from the Panthers.

“I believed we looked awfully slow,” Hinsdale stated. “I believed we have been also reliant on Mandy.”

Howie scored 13 straight points for her group close to the finish of the third quarter as Hammond led by 22 getting into the final eight minutes.

“If you see how lots of loose balls there have been, we didn’t get any of these,” Hinsdale stated. “One time I named timeout and stated ‘We had 4 girls laying on the floor and no one came up with the ball.’ That is heart. Their hearts have been larger than ours currently.”

Now the Red Devils will have to deal with Section IV champion Oxford Academy, which beat Section II’s Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons 75-54 in Saturday’s second semifinal.

The Red Devils will be in search of their initial state title due to the fact winning back-to-back championships in 2007 and 2008.

“I believed if we got previous Hammond,” Hinsdale stated, “we’d have a seriously great shot against Oxford.”

NOTES: Panama shot 20 of 58 (34.five%) from the field, which includes three of 18 from three-point variety, and turned the ball more than six occasions. Junior Kylie Morgan had 11 points and six rebounds, although Horton had eight points and six rebounds.

PANAMA (56)

Brink 9 five 26, Schauman 1 two, Morgan four three 11, Horton two four eight, Odell three six, Variety 1 two, Greene 1 1, Markham . Totals 20 13 56.

HAMMOND (78)

Cunningham , Sprabary five 11, Manning four eight, Kenyon 11 1 25, Howie 12 two 28, Woodcock 1 two, Vinch two four, Tulley , Jones , Downs . Totals 35 three 78.

three-point targets-Brink three, Sprabary, Kenyon two, Howie two.

Panama 9 17 17 13 – 56

Hammond 13 25 27 13 – 78

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