Top-seeded College of St. Joseph's (VT) earned a spot in the women's championship game with a 72-64 win over fourth-seeded Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. The semi-final game was a battle between two powerhouse programs which included six ties and nine lead changes. The first half was paced by senior,
Alexa Schooley's 12 points as the Panthers went into halftime down 35-31.
The Panthers trailed for most of the second half until they were finally able to recapture the lead at the 9:58 minute mark 51-50 on a jump shot from freshmen,
Dannie Griffin. Both teams continued to battle on the hardwood exchanging baskets. Senior,
Taylor Sullivan who finished the game with 19 points and 6 rebounds, tied the game on a short jump shot with 3:32 remaining in the game. Senior,
Megan Serley's free throw at the 2:16 mark giving the Panthers a 64-61 advantage, proved to be the last points of the season for ACPHS. The Fighting Knights freshmen, Jazz Laracuente, made a three-point jump shoot with just 1:11 remaining in the to game kick start the comeback and shift the momentum to St. Joseph's, who eventually went on to win 72-64.
The battle of the boards was won by ACPHS, as the Panthers grabbed 53 rebounds to the Fighting Knights 32. The game was secured on turnovers as ACPHS gave away 26 turnovers resulting in 27 points for the College of St. Joseph.
Seniors,
Taylor Sullivan and
Alexa Schooley ended their tremendous athletic careers with 19 points on the night, along with
Megan Serley's 17 points. The senior trio will deeply be missed as they have all helped create a powerhouse women's basketball program at ACPHS for years' to come.