By Andy Simek
LIBERTY — The last game in the Sullivan Generals’ Summer Girls’ Basketball League playoffs was held last Friday evening at the Paul Gerry Fieldhouse on the Sullivan County Community College campus.
The contest featured two teams, Downsville and Livingston Manor, which had identical 6-1 records.
Program Coordinator Adam Lake promised a good game, noting that even the beginning of the playoff tournament had been “pretty intense.”
Lake made good on his promise. It was evident from the first few minutes of the game that both teams were ready to play hard for the title.
Throughout the entire game, there was no indication as to which team would take control. There was rarely a time when one squad was ahead by more than a couple of baskets.
On the front lines of the struggle were Stephanie Shellman of Downsville and Marrisa Diescher of Livingston Manor.
When it came time to zip through the mass of bodies around the hoop, it was these girls that their respective teams could turn to.
Their agility, speed and accuracy made them formidable foes on the court. But it was the rest of their respective teammates who filled in where it counted.
Manor took the game with a close score of 39-36 and finished the tournament with an impressive 7-1 record. It was an accomplishment that very much pleased the Manor players and Coach Kevin Clifford.
Clifford said that this had been one of the better games in the tournament and commended Downsville for keeping it so close.
Of his team he said, “They really stepped up to the challenges I placed to them out there.”