As the seconds ticked away during the Amsterdam Lady Rams varsity basketball teams’ game Monday night, the Lady Rams worked quickly, trying to get the ball to junior guard Victoria Barone-Lopez. The outcome of the game was already secure. Amstedam had built a 21 point lead over the Broadalin-Perth Lady Patriots and in the process, a pair of Lady Rams had reached seasonal scoring milestones. However, Barone-Lopez had yet to score this season and the Lady Rams looked for the chance to get her the ball. With five seconds left, a cross-court pass from AHS junior guard Grace Catena found Barone-Lopez in the corner baseline and presented her with one of the most difficult shots in the game. She put the ball on the floor just once then sent up a shot that glanced off the backboard and through the net as time expired competing a 49-26 Amsterdam victory at Broadalbin-Perth High School.
“That was a good corner bank shot by Vicky,” Amsterdam head coach Eric Duemler said. “This is a close knit group, and everyone was happy for her.”
What few may have realized is that when Barone-Lopez scored, it completed a night when every player that took the court for Amsterdam scored. Two Lady Rams took a step closer to the school scoring record. Junior forward Nina Fedullo passed the 200 point mark for the season, and sophomore forward Giuliana Pritchard passed the 100 point mark giving the Lady Rams three players to reach triple digits in scoring for the season.
“A lot of players scored tonight,” Coach Duemler said. “That helped us when they tried to take us out of our flow early.”
Both teams struggled to find consistency to start the game thanks to pressure defenses that tipped away passes and created turnovers. Both teams denied the other from any points inside the lane, constantly stopping drives to the rim. The third member of Amsterdam’s 100 point club, Brady Santiago finally got things started with a long distance three for an early AHS lead. BPHS tied it up on free throws by Danielle Biggers and Tatiana Ivery, but the Lady Rams went on a small run started on a free throw by Pritchard and baskets by Fedullo and Maria Lomanto. AHS opened up an 8-3 lead that was answered by a basket from Erica Kordyjak, who led the Lady Patriots with 12 points. Fedullo reached the 200 point mark on the next trip down the floor when she pulled up and drilled a three giving AHS an 11-5 advantage. BPHS had showed its quickness since the opening tip and cut into the lead getting steals by Ivery and Isabella Magliocca and converted them into a three point make by Biggers and a lay up by Koryjak. Trying to force passes without seeing the entire court was proving costly for Amsterdam who led by only one, 11-10 at the end of the first quarter.
“The last thirty seconds of the first quarter were horrible,” Coach Duemler said. We’ve been working hard on our passing, and seeing passes with our eyes first.”
Broadalbin-Perth was able to seize momentum briefly in the opening minutes of the second quarter when Kordyjak used an impressive spin move around Fedullo and to the basket giving the Lady Patriots their only lead of the game at 12-11. It was Amsterdam’s defense that then set the tempo for the last three quarters, and ignited a 14-0 run leading up to the half. A Santiago jump shot got the lead back for AHS followed by a pair of steals and scores by Fedullo and Lucia Liverio boosting the lead to 19-12. Pritchard brought down a defensive rebound on the next BPHS drive and hustled the length of the court putting the ball in and netting her 100th point of the season. Jaliene Irizarry took a pass from Fedullo for the next AHS score, and Fedullo put back a miss for two more points giving the Lady Rams a double digit lead.
“Our starters played hard and we had a nice game plan, but we just hit a wall,” Broadalbin-Perth coach Michael Magliocca said. “Amsterdam is a good team, and they have scoring all over the place.”
The Lady Patriots cut into the lead with free throws by Kordyjak and Diggers sandwiched around a lay up by Hannah Magliocca on a beautifully timed in bounds pass by Ali Visco, who led BPHS with six rebounds. A pair of free throws by Autumn Duemler kept it a 10 point AHS lead, 27-17 at the end of the first half. However, the Lady Rams defense was just getting started and kept the pressure on in the third quarter.
The two teams mirrored each other on defense in the opening moments of the second half trading turnovers on each of their first three possessions. Amsterdam finally broke through with Fedullo taking an assist by Pritchard on her way to the rim and adding the free throw completing a three point play. BPHS’ defense cracked, but Amsterdam’s didn’t, not for the first nine trips down the floor by the Lady Patriots that resulted in Amsterdam forcing a turnover or gathering in a defensive rebound. AHS limited the Lady Patriots to five points in the third quarter, and denied them on 11 of 14 possessions. Broadalbin-Perth did not score until 2:14 in the period on a free throw by Kordyjak. Amsterdam’s offense meanwhile had ripped off nine straight points on Santiago’s second triple of the game and scores by Fedullo and Autumn Duemler. Rayven Roach buried a couple of free throws and Amsterdam had opened up a 38-22 lead at the end of the third and never looked back.
We just started playing too fast,” Coach Magliocca said. “We were going too hard and got caught on the baseline and couldn’t pass it out. Bounce passes inside would have helped up but we didn’t do that.”
Amsterdam opened up its biggest lead at 43-22 after going on a 5-0 run to open the fourth quarter with points coming from Pritchard and Duemler. The Lady Rams emptied their bench and everyone got a chance to contribute as Grace Catena blocked a shot by Kordjyak during one of three times that AHS forced a turnover on a shot clock violation by BPHS. Catena connected on a jump shot on the next AHS trip down the floor leaving only Barone-Lopez to get in the scoring column. The first year junior guard assisted on Fedullo’s last points of the game on an earlier possession and finally got her chance on the pass from Catena. It was the first time this year everyone in the lineup scored in a game for Amsterdam, complimenting an AHS defense that was at its best outscoring their opponent 38-16 over the last three quarters.
“Overall we played good defense,” Coach Duemler said. “We played a lot of man-to-man defense tonight and did well. I’m proud of the girls and how they responded.”
Fedullo led Amsterdam with 17 points and nine rebounds, Santiago was next with eight points followed by Pritchard with six points and seven rebounds, and Autumn Duemler with five points and as many boards. Liverio scored three points and had two rebounds, three steals and three assists. Lomanto, Roach, Catena, Irizarry, and Barone-Lopez all had two points in the Lady Rams win.
Danielle Biggers and Hannah Magliocca each scored five points for Broadalnbin-Perth. Ivery finished with two points, and Nyah Thompson and Michaela Eagan had one point each for the Lady Patriots. Ivery and Isabella Magliocca had five rebounds each, and Lola DiCaterino and Carly Sheffer both pulled down one rebound for BPHS.
Amsterdam picked up their tenth win of the season to go 10-3 overall and 9-1 in the Foothills Council. The Lady Rams also improved to 6-0 in the South division, and hold a two game lead over Scotia-Glenville for the division title in part thanks to an early season Broadalbin-Perth win over the Lady Tartans. Amsterdam’s last three league games will all be at home starting with a key match up on Thursday against the Hudson Falls Lady Tigers, the leaders in the North division. Hudson Falls comes into the game unbeaten in the Foothills Council with a defense that has yet to give up more than 40 points in a game this season. Tip time for the varsity contest is 7pm.
Amsterdam junior varsity wins big 51-12
The junior varsity Lady Rams opened up a 30-5 lead at halftime and coasted to a 51-12 win over Broadalbin-Perth. Gianna DeRosa led Amsterdam with 11 points while playing in all four quarters. Karly Power was next on the charts with 10 points followed by Natalie Fernandez’s eight points and Taylor Flint’s seven points. Lilian Orengo and Elena Fedullo each scored four points for AHS, Mady Carmona and Megan Lamont each added three points, and Gabby Stanavich had one point for the junior Lady Rams.
Broadalbin-Perth was led by five points from Kacie Corcuera. Kylie Stigberg, Adrienne Morreale, and Hailey Parrotti each scored two points, and Tesa Brodie had one point and led BPHS with four rebounds.
