Stillwater sends Cooperstown packing, en route to Class C state championship game
TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Stillwater girls basketball team continues to venture deeper into uncharted territory.
Following the program's first-ever section title and regional championship, the Warriors will now make their first appearance in a state championship game after throttling Section 3's Cooperstown, 59-37, in the semifinals Thursday night at Hudson Valley Community College.
"I thought they came out and played with a lot of confidence," said Stillwater head coach Cassidy Chapko. "They kept their composure. And they really locked in defensively. They got a lot of stops, which allowed us to turn our defense into offense and get a lot of easy, transition buckets, which is what we do really well."
Defense has been the backbone of Stillwater's now 13-game win streak, which started Jan. 27. The Warriors have not allowed more than 45 points in an outing during that stretch.
Chapko's bunch didn't allow Cooperstown to score a single point over the final 4:20 of the opening quarter. They used that time to rattle off a 15-0 run and maintained an 18-8 advantage ahead of the second stanza.
After a low-scoring quarter that Stillwater took, 9-8, the Warriors erupted for a 20-4 third frame that put the game out of reach.
"They (Cooperstown) are a really good team; we had to come out quick and early, and that's what we did," said sophomore guard Addison Thornton. "We kept our lead all game. And we kept our composure all game."
Thornton led all scorers with 18. She tallied six assists as well; tied with her teammate, Maddie Chatt, for a game-best total. Chatt also finished in double figures in scoring with 11 points. So too did Andie Luskin. The sophomore forward narrowly recorded a double-double with 16 points and nine rebounds.
Stillwater sits on the verge of program history, and it's remarkable to think how they got there: defeating top-ranked and unbeaten Greenwich in the Section 2, Class C championship game - a team they had lost to by 20 points twice in the regular season - and then taking down two, 20+-win squads in the state tournament in Lisbon Central and Cooperstown.
"They go in every game and they're very calm and collected," said Chapko. "It's kinda that underdog mentality. We're gonna go out and play Stillwater basketball. We're gonna play our game and whatever happens, happens."
The Warriors will turn right around and play in the Class C state championship game Friday against Section 6's Frewsburg. Opening tip is slated for 7:45 p.m. at HVCC.