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Ashlea Prouty | Democrat

Sullivan West’s Jillian Fife dribbles upcourt as Liberty’s Alyssa Corbett guards her during Thursday night’s OCIAA Division IV game in Lake Huntington.

SW Lady Bulldogs earn a trip to sectionals with ‘W’ over Liberty

By Ashlea Prouty
LAKE HUNTINGTON — February 23, 2010 — The Orange County Interscholastic Athletic Association (OCIAA) Division IV girls’ basketball game on Thursday night between host Sullivan West and Liberty was a must win for the Lady Bulldogs in order to ensure a spot in the upcoming Section IX Class B Tournament.
A solid third quarter led to a 46-19 victory for SW, which ensured the team of a .500 season record and guaranteed a trip to the postseason.
“We’re in [sectionals],” SW Coach Pat Donovan exclaimed, wiping visible tears from his eyes as he emerged from the home team lockerroom moments after the game. “It feels awesome!”
The game was tied at 6-6 at the end of the first quarter, which Donovan defined as “a gut check.” Surely this was all the motivation the Lady Bulldogs needed as they outscored Liberty 13-2 in the second quarter to take a 19-8 lead at halftime.
SW (9-8, 2-3 Div. IV) would maintain the advantage for the rest of the game.
Within seconds of the start of the second quarter, Gabrielle Humleker scored a basket and SW would never look back.
Victoria Baum scored the lone basket for Liberty (3-13, 0-6 Div. IV) with 5:29 remaining in the period.
Regina Nicoletti, Shelby Grishaber and Autumn Ackermann all recorded baskets for the Lady Bulldogs before the intermission.
The Lady Bulldogs showed that they meant business in the second half. They scored 15 points in the third quarter, while holding the Lady Indians to only one basket.
Humleker scored a game-high 12 points and teammate Brianna Kline had 10 points.
Grishaber and Ackermann each contributed six points for the Lady Bulldogs.
“They [SW] really played well tonight,” Liberty Coach Ryan Baldock said. “They [SW] really stepped up.”
An ankle injury to Gwen Fuller at the 5:09 mark of the first quarter caused Liberty to falter. After scoring two points and grabbing five rebounds in the first few minutes of the game, Fuller was forced to watch the remainder of the contest from the sideline.
Justice Dingevan recorded eight points for the Lady Indians and Baum added six points.
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