The miracle run has finally ended for the Sachem East girls basketball team. The Arrows lost Friday night in the Class New York State semifinals to Ossining, 66-58, at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, N.Y.
Sachem (21-3) was led by Katie Doherty, who scored 19 points and added 7 rebounds, and Kathleen Everson, who added 16.
Connecticut-bound Saniya Chong dropped 27 points for Ossining (21-4). She was recently named as the Gatorade New York State Player of the Year.
East held Chong to just six first-half points, and led 26-25 at halftime.
A strong second-half, including 21 of Ossining’s 41 points and a 12-for-13 performance from the free-throw line, separated the Section I school.
According to Newsday, Connecticut standout Breanna Stewart was in attendance to support her future teammate Chong, and room on her former mates at Cicero-North, who played in the other semifinal.
“Sachem East is no joke,” Stewart told Newsday. “They play as a team, they’re physical and have good fundamentals. You’ve gotta give them props.”
Sachem East won its second Long Island championship this season in program history and made its first trip to the state semifinals since 2010 when the Arrows last won a public school title.
Ossining will play Gates-Chili (Section V), who defeated defending champ Cicero-North Syracuse in the other semifinal, Saturday in the championship.
Sachem East Scorers
- Katie Doherty: 19 points
- Kathleen Everson: 16 points
- Emily Carmel: 10 points
- Christina Schretzman: 6 points
- Allie Drake: 4 points
- Sammy Drake: 3 points
-Words by Chris R. Vaccaro