Amsterdam High School Lady Rams varsity basketball junior Nina Fedullo was named the 2015-2016 Foothills Council Girls Basketball Most Valuable Player when the league selections were announced Tuesday. Joining Fedullo as Foothills Council Girls Basketball All Stars were two of her Lady Rams teammates: junior Brady Santiago, and sophomore Giuliana Pritchard.
Fedullo was also named to the Foothills Council All League Team along with Gloversville freshman Harmony Philo, Scotia-Glenville junior Caitlin Estes, Hudson Falls senior Bri McKinney, and the Glens Falls tandem of junior Lucy Tougas and her sister, freshman Sophie Tougas.
Both Fedullo and Santiago were selected to the Foothills Council South Division First Team that included Philo, Estes, and Gloversville sophomore Jasmine Gonzalez.
Pritchard was selected to the Foothills Council South Division’s Second Team along with Broadalbin-Perth senior Erica Kordyjak, Scotia Glenville sophomore Mary Kate Palleschi, and a pair of Johnstown Lady Bills in senior Lexus Williams and junior Claire Guzielek.
Hudson Falls senior Tanner Barton, and South Glens Falls’ seniors Rylee Coon and Alexa Brown joined McKinney and the Tougas sisters as Foothills Council North Division First Team All Stars.
The North Division Second Team All Star selections included Hudson Falls juniors Sophie Lebrun and Maddie Akins, Schuylerville sophomore Emily Vallee, Queensbury junior Emma Hayes, and Glens Falls sophomore Taylor Scarincio.
Fedullo, in her third season on the Amsterdam varsity team, entered into the school record books when she broke 1988 Amsterdam High School graduate Amy Jo Stewart’s career scoring mark of 954 points. During the Lady Rams senior night game against the Broadalbin-Perth Lady Patriots on February 1, 2016, Fedullo passed Stewart scoring 23 points in the Lady Rams 63-37 win. Only two days earlier, Fedullo recorded her career game high with 37 points in an 80-53 Amsterdam victory over John F. Kennedy High School (NYC) at the prestigious Mecca Basketball Challenge in the Bronx, NY.
But, the Amsterdam junior wasn’t finished adding her name to the record books. The Lady Rams went on to defeat Glens Falls 59-56 in the Foothills Council Championship game at the Glens Falls Civic Center on Feburary 4, 2016 where Fedullo scored 23 points, and made a pair of free throws late in the game to help seal the Lady Rams first outright Foothills Council title, leaving her only seven points shy of 1,000 for her career.
The Amsterdam Lady Rams were awarded the second seed in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Section 2 Class A tournament, and faced the Mohonasen Lady Warriors in the quarter-final round on Febuary 20, 2016 at Amsterdam High School. Fedullo became the first Amsterdam High School girls basketball player to score 1,000 points, with a second quarter free throw. Fedullo scored 27 in the Lady Rams 65-54 win over Mohonasen, and led her team with 21 points in a semi-final victory over Troy three days later to help Amsterdam reach it’s first girls basketball sectional final in 22 years. During the win over Troy, Fedullo broke Stewart’s single season scoring mark of 400 points, and finished the season with 444 points and 1,059 to date in her career.
Santiago set a personal best with 217 points in the 2015-2016 season, only her second on the Amsterdam Lady Rams varsity team. The junior guard also added her name to the school record books when she made seven three-point shots against Glens Falls at the Foothills Council Championship Game, tying a school record. Santiago also had her name added to the NYSPHSAA record book by making more than 40 three-point baskets in a single season. Her 25 points against Glens Falls was a season high.
Santiago complimented Fedullo from the shooting guard position and her efficiency from the three point arc helped Amsterdam to defeat division rival Scotia-Glenville twice including a 56-53 triumph in overtime at SGHS, and also helped the Lady Rams knock Hudson Falls from the ranks of the unbeaten in the Foothills Council with a 49-44 late January win at AHS. Santiago was an honorable mention choice in the Foothills Council last year.
Pritchard finished third for the Amsterdam Lady Rams varsity in scoring with 186 points, and provided a strong presence in the front court on both offense and defense. A starter in her third season on the Lady Rams varsity, she has climbed into the top ten on the all time scoring list for Amsterdam girls basketball.
The sophomore forward recorded four “double-doubles” (points and rebounds) collecting over 150 rebounds as part of a talented front court that included Fedullo and Autumn Duemler (117 points this season). Pritchard also played a role in the championship game against Glens Falls by scoring six points and collecting three defensive rebounds during Amsterdam’s fourth quarter surge to the win.
At Scotia-Glenville, Pritchard came through with a 14 point, 12 rebound effort to keep her team in the game setting up the fourth quarter rally. Pritchard’s season high came against JFK High School (NYC) where she scored 17 points and added 11 rebounds. Pritchard tallied 10 points against Troy, and 13 points against Averill Park in the NYSPHSAA Section 2 Class A playoffs, and along with Fedullo was named to the Section 2 Class A All Tournament Team.
