Somers Puts the Triangle on Croton-Harmon for First Round Win

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On Friday February 20, Somers opened the sectionals at Croton-Harmon, and Eli Contreras voiced the goal. “We weren’t going to be beat by them three times in one season,” said the guard. But an upset required more than words.

Julia Junkovic and Johanna Hough doing most of the damage previously, Somers was done charming the Tigers. “We did a triangle two,” revealed Eli Contreras, and the lockdown secured a 45-38 victory.

Of course, Somers wasn’t discouraged when Hough opened with a put back. Caitlyn Mayfield spun through the paint for two, and then the defense went to work. Junkovic and Hough were both double teamed from the outset, and Coach Rogers explained. “The definition of insanity is letting the same things happen over and over and expecting a different result,” he clarified.

Contreras was the first to reap the rewards on offense. An easy offensive rebound came to her off a Mayfield miss, and the sophomore calmly dropped the jumper.

Still, the boards weren’t necessarily subject to Roger’s three point plan. Going over Kacey McCullough for the board, Junkovic sank two from the line for a 7-4 lead at 4:12.

The twin towers could play defense too. On Emma Flores’ drive, Hough kept up and registered a clean block.

Not as tall, Somers continued to double down. Another turnover forced, Somers moved the other way, and Mayfield dribbled into a short jumper.

7-6 with 1:42 remaining, the Somers plan obviously wasn’t full proof. “They are both phenomenal players,” said Rogers, and in the face of McCullough, Flores and Contreras, Junkovic’s scoring muscle down low closed the quarter at 11-7.

Onto the second, Mayfield also proved immune to defense. She dribbled into a jumper in the paint, threw a running layup off the glass and stole Ashley Kuchinsky’s miss into a put back at 6:09. “She’s such a unique player and such a coachable kid,” boasted Rogers.

No disagreeing, the home team called for time at 13-13, and upon return, a good woman still couldn’t be kept completely down. With Mayfield all up in the forward’s grill, Hough sunk a tough turnaround jumper.

In at 5:30, Mayfield held her own too and showed how to counter a collapsing paint. The forward quickly unloaded to an open Contreras, and the foul resulted in two free throws for a 15-15 game.

A 7-0 run sparked, the Somers defense actually lit the fire. Forced to settle, Croton-Harmon mostly shot long range, while Mayfield, Flores and Contreras got inside for a 20-15 lead.

Minus the double team, Juliet Sarcone was able to float a layup and then sink two foul shots. A little momentum, Croton-Harmon stepped up their pressure.

Largely landing on Shea Mullins, she navigated the Tiger waves. In control, she came around a pick for a jumper at :54.9, and next found Flores in the paint, who unloaded to Mayfield for a baseline floater.

The half closed at 24-19, Somers maintained the status quo down low. Greeted by two Tuskers, Junkovic did draw the foul. However, the big missed both free throws, and Addison Caputo and Sarcone would do the same for six straight missed free throws.

Another run was on the way, though, and the shift belonged to Somers. It began when McCullough corralled a loose ball, and her shovel to Contreras gave Somers their first three points of the quarter at 3:21.

27-21, the Tigers continued their run. Two more misses for Sarcone and Mayfield made the cats pay. The junior first put on a move into the paint for a jumper, and after Contreras dropped a floater, she stepped into the passing lanes for a fast break deuce.

The defense didn’t rest either. Double teaming Caputo in the corner, the girls didn’t relent when Junkovic picked up the ball, and she wound up dribbling out of bounds. Back the other way, Mayfield sunk two at the line, and up 13, Somers had eight minutes to kill.

Unfortunately a 7-2 run did breathe life for the Tigers. Timeout at 4:09, Somers responded by coughing up the ball. Even so, a delayed reaction worked fine, and it came on the heels of Contreras.

Off a defensive board, she went coast to coast, and then on the pressure, the guard came up with the loose ball. No hesitation, she spotted Kuchinsky and her layup had Rogers looking past the 11 point lead. “Eli is going to make her college coach very happy one day,” he assured.

In the bag at 3:12, the Tigers disagreed. Abby DeBeer hit from downtown, and Laila Asghar followed to make it 41-34.

Ninety seconds left, Croton Harmon was forced to foul and had to settle for Mayfield at 1:17. Two for two, it looked over again. That is until Caputo scored a put back, and Mullins missed two at the line.

So the defense came to the rescue. On a pass inside, Kuchinsky got a hand in, and Contreras secured. She hit one from the line for a seven point lead, and Kuchinsky sank the final dagger that allowed Rogers to sum up the winning process. “It was execution and paying attention to the little things,” he concluded.

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