Having already clinched the Foothills Council South division title a week ago to set up another showdown with Glens Falls, the Amsterdam Lady Rams varsity basketball team finished off their regular season schedule with a 80-45 win over the Schuylerville Lady Black Horses on Friday night at Schuylerville High School. The game also featured the varsity debut of Amsterdam eighth grader Antonia May.
The 80 points put up by Amsterdam (16-3 overall, 12-1 Foothills Council) were a season high as all eleven Lady Rams to take the floor contributed in the win with senior Nina Fedullo leading the way with 20 points, giving her 1,423 for her career heading into sectionals. Giuliana Pritchard complimented Fedullo’s efforts with 16 points, followed by 11 from Maria Lomanto. Lucia Liverio was next on the AHS scoring charts with ten points and put her season total at 61, a career best. Brady Santiago and Gianna Derosa each scored five points, Grace Catena and Taylor Flint each scored four. Janina Sjoberg scored two points, and Elena Fedullo scored on a free throw, one of a season high 25 made by the Lady Rams. Also scoring two points for the Lady Rams was eighth grader Antonia May, who made her varsity debut on Friday after an impressive season on the Amsterdam junior varsity squad where she was among the team leaders in scoring and rebounds. May admitted she was a little nervous in her first varsity appearance.
“It was nerve racking but fun at the same time,” May said while helping with the Lady Rams basketball clinic on Saturday. “I like playing with the older girls. It’s a lot of fun.”
May has been at her best this season when the AHS junior varsity faced some of the better young teams in the Foothills Council. May put up 13 points in Amsterdam’s 49-38 win over Glens Falls, and posted a team high 17 points in the jay-vee squads’ 55-36 triumph at Scotia-Glenville. May’s performance on the defensive end was most apparent in Amsterdam’s 45-41 win over Gloversville where she had several key rebounds in the first half to keep the Lady Rams within striking distance. Her consistent play and hard work led to her call up to the varsity level.
“I have to work hard at practice and get to know the plays more,” said May, who has already set some goals before her career is done.
“I want to score one thousand points,” May said. “I know that to get there, hard work pays off.”
The only player player to surpass the 1,000 point plateau for her career is now one of May’s teammates. Nina Fedullo reached that goal in her third varsity season and is currently approaching the 1,500 mark for her career. Fedullo and the Lady Rams will next take the court on Monday night with a rematch against the Glens Falls Lady Indians, who defeated Amsterdam 63-56 back on January 19 at AHS. The Lady Rams were not at full strength for that game, but expect to be for the title game, and have now added another scoring threat, and someone with the same determination as her veteran teammates to reach the goal of winning a sectional title.
At press time, a winter storm warning was put in effect for late Sunday night and into Monday that could effect the Foothills Council title games scheduled for Monday night at the Glens Falls Civic Center. Should the weather impact the games, a make up date, time, and place have yet to be announced.
