HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS BASKETBALL: CLASS D STATE SEMIFINAL PREVIEW

By Rob Centorani

Star photo by Julie Lewis South Kortright’s Patti Austin, left, forces a jump ball with Cassandra Coy of New York Mills during the second quarter of last Saturday’s Class D state quarterfinal at Jamesville-DeWitt High. New York Mills maintained possession on the play, but the Rams won, 58-43, to earn a berth in the state semifinals.

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Staff Writer

For South Kortright girls basketball coach Harry Nissen and star player Jessica Laing, this weekend appears to be about cementing a legacy.

"I’ve told them you want to be a team that everyone is going to be compared to," Nissen said. "You know, ’They’re as good as the ’06 team’ type of thing."

The Rams (23-1) are two victories from winning the first state championship of any kind in school history. Step one is 9 a.m. Satur[an error occurred while processing this directive]day, when SK meets Section Five champion Batavia Notre Dame (23-2) at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy.

The championship game is noon Sunday, with the winner facing Section Nine’s Chapel Field (17-6) or Section 10’s Hammond (23-3).

"We’ll get a banner that we’ll all sign," said Laing, who scored 33 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in the Rams’ 58-43 Class D quarterfinal victory over New York Mills last Saturday. "In 10 or 15 years, when I come back to the school, I can say I was on that team. The memories would just be awesome."

These Rams have already had a season to remember, advancing to the final four for the first time in program history and setting a school record for victories. SK won 22 games in 2002, but fell, 49-36, to Watertown Immaculate Heart in the state quarterfinals.

The only other Rams team to get past the state quarterfinals was the 1992 girls soccer squad, which lost to New Lebanon in the state final.

"We won the section and that was our biggest goal," Laing said of SK’s 54-41 victory over rival Downsville in the Section Four Class D title game March 4. "Now, we’re just ... we’re not just along for the ride, but we’re going to come out and play every game as if it’s just extra topping on the cake."

The fourth-ranked Rams will go up against top-ranked Batavia Notre Dame, which starts four seniors and a junior. Three of the Fighting Irish’s starters stand at 5-foot-9 or taller.

"Rebounding has been one of our strengths most of the year," said Batavia coach Dave Pero, whose team’s state-tournament pedigree includes a Class D title in 1999 and two trips to the state tournament since. "We stress rebounding."

Batavia gets a team-best 14 points per game from 5-9 swing player senior Ali Haitz, who scored 13 in last Saturday’s 45-37 quarterfinal victory over Sherman of Section Six. Junior 5-11 forward Heidi Norton, who averages 10 points, had 18 points and 16 rebounds in the victory.

Pero said senior point guard Felicia Hackett is the team’s catalyst, though.

"She’s real huge for us," Pero said of the 5-2 Hackett. "She’s a good ballhandler and real quick."

Taryn Moskal, a 5-5 senior shooting guard, is Batavia’s outside threat, and 5-10 senior forward Jamie Morey averages 9 points.

"When we’re playing well, we’re usually on the run," Pero said. "If we can rebound and play solid defense, things are going well. Our defense leads to offense."

Defensively, Pero said the Fighting Irish play a 1-3-1 half-court trap or man-to-man. Laing will no doubt be the focus of either defensive setup.

South Kortright’s all-time leading scorer in basketball — boys included — Laing has 1,763 varsity points and is averaging an area-best 24.5 this winter.

Fellow seniors Emily White and Kassie Tiller average 13.5 and 12.5 points, respectively, for the Rams. White is a 5-10 forward who plays in the middle of SK’s 2-3 zone. Lefty Tiller is the team’s best three-point shooter, with 38 in 23 games this season.

Sophomores Allison Gardner (4.8 ppg) and Jordan Nichols (3.3) round out the Rams’ starting lineup.

"This situation is what you always dream about," Nissen said. "As a kid, you dream about being at the foul line in the championship game — and now we’re actually there. I’ve been trying to get that across to them. The opportunity is there for them."