John Jay Falls to Nyack in First Round of Sectionals

On Friday February 16, John Jay traveled to Nyack for the first round of the sectionals and came off the bus with their engines revving. They ran the break, hit the open player and converted their layups and jumpers. Good for a resounding 24-13 second quarter lead, the wheels on the actual bus looked ready to return home in victory, but Nyack had other ideas.

Not only connecting on the inside and out, the Red Hawks’ momentum shift had John Jay forcing their passes, and all the resulting turnovers were too much to overcome in a 48-37 loss.

Nonetheless, the girls quickly showed their stuff. After Aniya Celestin got two from the line, the first triumvirate emerged. Natalie Ellrodt grabbed the rebound, got the ball ahead to Sela Halaifonua, and open in the corner, Jordan Kauftheil drained the triple.

Two more foul shots by Celestin didn’t stop John Jay either. First Halaifonua popped a second three, and then leading the break, she followed Kauftheil’s miss for an 8-4 lead.

At 3:34, the Wolf run was about to begin. Kauftheil got the board, shoveled to Halaifonua and the season long sight on rewind, the guard caught Jane Brennan in stride for the fast break layup.

10-6 now, Halaifonua remained in the thick of it. She calmly dropped a three at 1:44, and off Brooke Habinowski’s steal, the junior was on the back end of another fast break.

Everything clicking, Nyack tried the full court press. No problem, Halaifonua to Brennan and back to Halaifonua, she found Kauftheil at mid court, and that left Habinowski streaking down the right. The ball en route, the senior went glass on the layup and gave John Jay a 17-8 lead with 24 seconds left in the quarter.

Not done yet, the Wolves ran one more break. Another rebound for Kauftheil, only Brennan didn’t get a touch, and up court, Ellrodt hit at the buzzer.

An 11 point difference, Nyack remained status quo at the start. Celestin’s three and Brooke Jordan two matched up with Avery Bisignano three pointer and Jaime Bartley-Cohen’s two from the line.

5:27 left in the half, the tide was ready to turn and started with a turnover. Brennan’s attempted pass into the corner was deflected by Madison Aikens, and on the other end, Celestin got to the line on a baseline drive.

Only one going down, the Red Hawks weren’t deterred, and Celestin was the first to make do. She grabbed Brennan’s miss, and up the court, Gianna Longo’s baseline drive netted two from the line.

24-16, John Jay then went cold. Three shots and three misses had Nyack inching even closer, and the glass work proved the yard stick. Aikens’ offensive rebound would put Celestin on the line for one, and on the free throw miss, Jordan’s sky set up Mia Gilbart for a downtown swish.

So John Jay needed to stop the bleeding, and the girls actually applied the tourniquet Halaifonua drove through traffic for two, and on the next possession, Ellrodt hit a corner three.

Back up to a nine point lead, Nyack simply loosened the bandage. Aikens hit a three, and with the help of two John Jay turnovers, Nyack closed in. Longo went off glass for the layup, and Aikens got to the line for two more.

29-26 at the half, the teams traded turnovers to start the third. But only Nyack took advantage, and Celestin did the dirty work. She kept the possession alive with an offensive rebound and eventually got the put back.

Clinging to a one point lead, another turnover put Celestin on the line to wrinkle a tie, but John Jay briefly saw a return to the first half. Halaifonua pulled down the board, lofted to Ellrodt, and she had a fast break hoop.

At 5:37, the Nyack train was definitely not derailed by the 31-29 defect. Aikens buried the three for the final lead change at 5:14, and two turnovers and missed fast break layup let Nyack put writing on the wall. No surprise, Celestin sharped the pencil with her kick out from the paint, and Aikens made the mark with the corner three.

The air going out of the gym, John Jay continued to miss, and another steal made the Wolves blue in the face. Aikens doing the deed in the backcourt, she scored two more foul shots, and Nyack led 38-31 lead at 1:48.

So looking to change things up, Coach Gallagher went to his bench and quickly got results from Amanda Riolo. On Kauftheil’s miss, the forward muscled a rebound and scored the put back.

The foul too, she missed from the line, but was back at it on the next two possessions. Unfortunately, Halaifonua and Kauftheil could not cash in on either second chance.

So Nyack showed John Jay how it was done, and with a flair for the dramatic. On Celestin’s airball, Jordan skied for the rebound and got the put back at the buzzer.

An eight point lead, John Jay briefly showed a sign of life. Brennan hit Ellrodt cutting across the paint, and she scored two from the line.

The last gasp it turned out, three more turnovers spelled doom, and Casey Cummings delivered the blows. First the guard drew a foul after spotting a lane to the hoop, and then she buried a three with 4:32 remaining. An 11 point lead, John Jay had no answer and were forced to end their season wondering what might have been.

Still, Gallagher brought it back to the bigger picture. “The girls played so hard and left it all out on the floor for me. They did that every day for me, and the improvement we have seen throughout this season is something we can build on for next year. I am very proud of them for all they have accomplished this year, and for the way they stepped up each and every day, the coach concluded.