Fast start for Mahopac dooms Fox Lane in Class AA basketball quarterfinals

Clockwise from top, Cora Moore gets off a shot in the lane for the Foxes.Riley New gets fouled as she drives to the hoop for Fox Lane against Mahopac. Kami Boniello controls after grabbing a rebound.  Jim MacLean Photos

By JIM MACLEAN

Sometimes a team gets hot at the right time, and a hot start can take you right out of your game plan and you never recover.

That was the scenario when the No. 5 seed Fox Lane girls basketball team traveled to take on No. 4 seed Mahopac in the Section 1 Class AA tournament quarterfinals Friday, Feb.  28.

Host Mahopac came out on fire, hitting three 3-pointers and jumping out to an 18-2 lead and the Wolf Pac never looked back, pulling away for a 61-36 victory to advance to the semifinals at the Westchester County Center.

“They picked a heck of a game to have their best shooting game of the season,” Matts said of Mahopac. “We watched a lot of film and they never shot like that, they had eight three’s total and that’s above their average. Our game plan was to stop their big inside, but their guards really hurt us, and offensively we couldn’t hit shots. The defensive effort is always there, but when you’re missing shots you have to work twice as hard and the girls kept fighting and working hard to the very end.”

Both teams knew a trip to the County Center was on the line and Fox Lane was hoping to come into Mahopac and pull off the upset to advance, but the Foxes were without team captain Cara Drapala as she suffered a knee injury at the end of the previous playoff game and would have to sit and watch.

It didn’t help the Foxes when Mahopac burst out of the gate nailing one 3-pointer after another to grab the momentum and build a big lead that would be tough to overcome without one of your best shooters and leading scorers on the court.

“For Cara, it’s heartbreaking, she’s been a captain now for two years because she earned it, she’s a true captain and you can see how much this team cares for her,” Matts said of Drapala. “They were crying for her, they love her, and sometimes it’s just not fair. Even if we lost, she should have been out on that court and it breaks my heart, but she handled it like a warrior.”

Fox Lane kept battling, but Mahopac kept hitting shots and didn’t let up, building a 33-10 lead by halftime. The Foxes kept fighting to the end, but they were unable to dig their way out for a comeback.

Riley New finished with 15 points to lead Fox Lane. Cora Moore finished in double figures with 11 points, Morgan Clinton scored seven points, and Dylan New scored three points to round out the scoring for the Foxes. Matts praised Kami Boniello for a strong defensive effort against Mahopac’s leading scorer Caily Salon inside, but it was the hot shooting from outside that made the difference for the home team.

Despite the loss, Fox Lane finished with a 15-7 overall record and had a great season, but Matts said that was little consolation at the moment as he tried to console his team after the defeat.

“You can tell them all you want, maybe at the team dinner, but right now it hurts,” admitted Matts. “They don’t know how special this season was yet, I hope someday they do, but right now all they are thinking is we could have gone to the County Center. Unless you win a state title, in the playoffs you’re going to cry and not all tears are bad. It shows how much you care for each other and this team, and I’m honored to coach them.”