By Justin Gottschalk
LIVINGSTON MANOR — February 25, 2005 – The Livingston Manor Lady Wildcats came up short in their sectional game Wednesday night against a bigger Coleman team.
The visiting Lady Statesmen used their height advantage to record a 55-39 victory in the Section IX Class D Quarterfinal game.
Coleman (10-10) will now meet top-seeded S. S. Seward in the semifinals. That contest is slated to be played at 6:45 p.m. tonight in the Paul Gerry Fieldhouse on the Sullivan County Community College campus in Loch Sheldrake.
Manor ended its season with a record of 8 wins and 10 losses.
The game was close early, however. Halfway through the first quarter the contest was knotted at 9-9, but Coleman scored four unanswered points to go up 13-9 at end of those opening eight minutes.
In the second period, fifth-seeded Coleman applied full-court pressure, disrupting the rhythm of Manor’s offense.
Coleman center Abby Brenkach dominated the game, scoring 18 total points and controlling the paint defensively. Dana Postupack added 12 points and Anna Sullivan scored nine points for the Lady Statesmen.
At halftime, Manor, the fourth seed in the tourney, faced a 12-point deficit, 26-14.
In the third period, Coleman began using the clock to its advantage, passing the ball around the perimeter before going down low. The Lady Statesmen scored the first eight points of the quarter and led by 20 before the Lady Wildcats began chipping away at that advantage. After three quarters, it was all Coleman.
In the fourth, Manor showed some pride, closing the gap with several successful 3-point shots. Many of those treys came off the hands of junior guard Heather Sherwood, who matched Brenkach with 18 points in the game. Teammates Ashley Mann and Jackie Trotti scored nine and six points, respectively, for the Lady Wildcats.
Manor closed to within 12 points with two minutes remaining, but Coleman applied late pressure and finished with a 16-point victory.
“I thought we played well,” Manor Coach Kevin Clifford said. “We got down a little bit, came out a little flat; we let our aggression down, then picked it up.
“They had more height than us, which was a big factor, and they played well. They executed and when we made mistakes they made us pay for it. They’re a good team.”
The contest marked the final scholastic hoops game for Manor’s four seniors – Emily Dalrymple, Carrie Lewis, Mann and Nicole Miller.