The Pelham girls, the number two seed in the Section One Class A Basketball Playoffs, lost to number one seed Ardsley in the sectional final on Friday.
The Pelicans started the game strong on defense, only allowing Ardsley to score three points in the first quarter and taking a 9-3 lead. Ardsley responded by outscoring Pelham 16-4 in the second quarter and went into halftime with a 19-13 lead.
In the second half, Ardsley kept the momentum, outscoring Pelham 17-15 in the third quarter and 18-8 in the fourth to win the championship 54-36.
In their semifinal matchup, the Pelicans beat Hendrick Hudson, the third seed, by a score of 61-50.
The first three quarters of the game featured lots of scoring and constant lead changes. At the end of the first half, Pelham trailed by only two points, 28-26, and finished the third leading 43-42.
With Pelham holding a six-point advantage at 2:20 into the fourth, Hendrick Hudson gradually made up ground to keep the game close. HenHud continued to apply pressure, but the Pelicans responded and took a 56-45 lead following a three-point shot by sophomore Emma Namba. The team capped off the 61-50 win after five free throws from freshman Colleen Sheehy in the final two minutes.
Senior captain Taylor Green led the team with 28 points in the semifinal win, followed by Sheehy (9) and Namba (11). Freshman Brooke Green led the team with 13 rebounds, followed by Taylor Green, who recorded nine. Taylor Green, Sheehy and Namba all had two steals.
Overall, the team recorded 41 rebounds, 11 assists, five steals, three blocks and a 41% field goal percentage. They made 36% of their shots from three-point range and 59% from the free-throw line.
