GLOVERSVILLE - The Gloversville girls basketball team's ability to convert from the free throw line turned out to be the difference in Friday's Foothills Council game against Hudson Falls.
The Lady Dragons made 46 trips to the charity stripe and made 26 as they ended Hudson Falls' three-game win streak, 64-55.
"They [Hudson Falls] are definitely a good team," Gloversville coach Robyn Chrzanowski said. "We knew it was going to be a tough game and physical. I just didn't know it was going to be that physical. We knew we had to come out focused and ready to roll. The girls stayed aggressive throughout the whole game tonight."
The Lady Tigers (9-9 overall, 7-5 Foothills Council) came into Friday night's game off a road victory over South Glens Falls Wednesday.
"We have been playing very well," Hudson Falls coach Greg Smith said. "We had won three in a row and wanted to finish strong down the stretch. We still are. Every night in the Foothills is tough and nobody in the league, except maybe Johnstown, has been successful on the road. Coming down here, we knew it would be a battle because they played us extremely hard at our place. There is not a night off in the Foothills. Whether they have three wins or seven there is not that much separating the top from the bottom in our league."
The Lady Dragons (4-14 overall, 4-8 Foothills Council) employed a trapping defense early against Hudson Falls, pinning the Lady Tigers in the backcourt and forcing turnovers. The turnovers led to Gloversville's first two trips to the line with Emily Baldwin and Kaitlin Clemente each hitting 1 of 2.
Brielle Bartlett and Ashley Buonviaggio put Hudson Falls in front, hitting 4 of 4 attempts from the line for a 4-2 advantage.
The Lady Tigers stretched their lead to seven, 13-6, before Gloversville rallied for a 9-2 run to close the gap to 15-13 at the end of the opening quarter.
Kelsey Nethaway pulled Gloversville even with a pair of free throws, but the Lady Dragons could not pull away until the final two minutes of the half.
Nethaway made good on a pair of free throws after a technical foul, Kelley Tisinger hit a 3-pointer and Abbie Carey scored on a putback to build Gloversville's lead to 31-22.
Julia Derway and Doody hit late baskets to make the score to 31-26 in favor of Gloversville at the half.
The Lady Dragons opened their lead to 10, 40-30 midway through the third period before Hudson Falls went on a 5-0 run to close to 40-35. Nethaway broke the run with her jump shot and then hit a free throw in the final seconds to give Gloversville 43-39 advantage heading into the final eight minutes of play.
The fourth quarter got off to an auspicious start as a foul then two technical fouls on Bartlett sent Baldwin to the foul line, where she converted on 5 of 6 attempts. Carey followed with a putback on an offensive rebound and Nethaway hit another basket and a pair of free throws to expand Gloversville's lead to 54-39 with 5:53 left in the game.
The Lady Tigers turned up their defensive pressure, using an aggressive trapping defense to force Gloversville to turn the ball over. Starks helped bring her team back, connecting for a 3-pointer and a basket, sandwiched around a Racheal Purdy basket to cut the lead to 55-47.
Gloversville went back to the aggressive trapping press that was successful at the start of the game to regain control of the game and close out the 64-55 victory.
"I was proud of the way our girls finished the game," Smith said. "After watching them [Gloversville] go to the line and shoot six consecutive foul shots, it was a tough possesion to go from down four to down 11 without ever touching the ball. The calls were the calls and you have to live with that."
Derway finished the night with 11 points for Hudson Falls, while Doody netted 10, including a pair of 3-pointers. Laura Bromley added seven rebounds to the Lady Tigers attack.
Gloversville placed four players in double digits with Nethaway leading the way with 13 points. Carey finished with a double-double of 12 points and 14 rebounds, while Clemente also had a double-double with 11 rebounds and 10 points. Nicole Webber rounded out the double-digit scorers with 11 points to go with seven rebounds.
"Kelsey did a great job tonight and Sara Brown came in and gave us the effort we needed off the bench," Chrzanowski said. "There were a lot of distractions tonight. They stayed focused and kept their composure through the whole game. That is good. That shows they are becoming experienced. The girls kept their composure and played great, the way I knew they can play."
Gloversville 64, Hudson Falls 55
Hudson Falls15 11 13 16 - 55
Gloversville13 18 12 21 - 64
Hudson Falls
Starks 3-1-8, Barlett 2-3-8, Doody 4-0-10, Derway 5-0-11, Sprague 1-1-3, Cartier 1-0-2, Buonviaggio 0-3-3, Purdy 1-2-4, Bromley 3-0-6. Totals: 20-10-55.
Gloversville
Nethaway 3-7-13, Care 5-2-12, Clemente 3-4-10, Webber 3-4-11, Baldwin 1-7-8, Tisinger 1-2-5, Satterlee 2-0-4. Totals: 18-26-64.
3-point goals: Hudson Falls 5 (Doody 2, Starks, Bartlett, Derway); Gloversville 2 (Webber, Tisinger).
