Varsity Ladycat hoops team sends seniors out in style, crushes NA-J

by Eva Gucker

For the Wildcats’ last home game of the season, the girls played exceptional basketball against the North Adams-Jerome Rams, winning 57-25. Offensively the Wildcats had few flaws with only 11 turnovers and had excellent ball movement with 15 assists. Unselfishness was the key to many of the Ladycats’ points. “The ladies did a great job of sharing the ball and making the NA-J zone move,” said Coach Hoover. Well-executed fast breaks and having the ball change sides of the floor was a team effort that led to many baskets for them also. One offensive highlight was a buzzer-beating 3-pointer that found nothing but nylon as time expired in the the third quarter by senior Eva Gucker.

Not only did Pittsford do well offensively, other parts of the game brought them success as well. Great rebounding stopped the Rams from keeping possession of the ball for long. Although during some parts of the game help-defense lacked, denial from the ball and strong close-outs made it hard for NA-J to score much. This was a great finish for the Wildcat’s regular season games on their home court, especially for the seniors. “I’m very proud of Eva’s and Marisa’s contributions to our program for four years. They are good students and hard workers, and we’ll miss what they bring,” said Coach Hoover.

Junior Katelyn Kipfmiller led with 19 points and seven rebounds. On the defensive end, senior Marisa Hamilton led with five steals, to go along with 15 points. The Pittsford girls will move on to the state tournament next, playing Manchester at Hanover-Horton at 6:00 p.m. on March 2.