The shot went in, but too late.
The James Madison girls basketball team came up just short of a monumental upset, falling 57–55 to two-time defending champs Staten Island Academy in the New York Federation “A” semifinals at the Glens Falls Civic Center on March 25.
The Lady Golden Knights connected on what would have been the game-tying bucket, but the buzzer had already gone off and the shot didn’t count. It was a heartbreaking end to an incredible run for Madison, but the squad refused to focus on what-ifs or might-have-beens.
“The kids played great,” said Madison coach Richard Tinghe. “It was a great game and I tell the kids all the time, somebody loses. And, today, unfortunately, it was us. The kids couldn’t have played any better. I’m proud of them, we won a city title. We’ve never been up here before and some people had us losing by a lot more than two.”
Madison took a 55–52 lead — on Diedre Foster’s three-pointer from the corner — with just under two minutes left on the clock, but the Lady Golden Knights were anxious to keep the upper hand.
Staten Island Academy missed its next three shot attempts as the Lady Golden Knights locked in on defense, hauling in rebounds and limiting the Lady Tigers to one-and-done possessions.
“We wanted to dominate the paint and get the rebounds,” said sophomore Melida Feratovic, who finished with eight boards.
Staten Island Academy’s Sophia DeMauro drained a pair of free throws to make the score 55–54 with 22.1 seconds left. On the ensuing inbounds play, Madison turned the ball over and the Lady Tigers took advantage, scoring a quick basket to grab a one-point lead with 16 ticks on the clock.
“I figured with an open floor we’d have it,” Tinghe said. “But the kid just kind of froze and held the ball and then they took it from us and made a play.”
Staten Island’s Emily LaPointe canned another free throw after Madison was whistled for a violation. In the final seconds, Madison’s Ketsia Athias somehow fed the ball to teammate Ericka James, who had one final look at the basket. Her shot went in, but not before the buzzer went off and the final horn sounded.
“On the last one we had something and [our guard] slipped and that kind of got us in trouble,” Tinghe said. “I always say, with kids under 10 seconds, it’s a lot of pressure and they get out of rhythm with what we do during the season.”
The loss was nothing short of disappointing for Madison, but the squad took solace in the fact it has won a city title, and is now more determined than ever to get back to Glens Falls.
“I said, ‘we won a city title, you played in Glens Falls, you played an amazing game. What more can you ask for?’” Tinghe said. “It’s going to hurt for awhile, but when I look back at this in June and July, I’ll be smiling.”
