The Averill Park High School girls basketball team raises the 2009-10 New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class A trophy after defeating Lakeland 53-46 in Saturday's championship game at Hudson Valley Community College. (All photos by J.S. Carras - The Record).

The Averill Park bench reacts to the final horn during Saturday's New York State Class A title game. It was the first girls basketball championship in school history for the Warriors.

Averill Park senior Katie Duma dances across the floor as the buzzer sounds in Averill Park's 53-46 victory over Lakeland.

Averill Park senior point guard Brittany O'Shea shares a hug with head coach Sean Organ following the Warriors' victory in the Class A title game.

Members of Averill Park's student fan section - the Gold Mine - react to what they perceive to be a bad call in Saturday's victory over Lakeland. Some of them, presumably, will be traveling to Glens Falls to see the Warriors compete in the Federation Tournament of Champions this weekend in Glens Falls.

Averill Park players lift the New York State Class A trophy as head coach Sean Organ looks on following Saturday's victory.

Unfortunately I missed the girl's games Saturday as I was watching the boys games in Glens Falls, but I wanted to post the wonderful pictures J.S. Carras snapped for us.

The season is not over for the Averill Park girls, who will face New York City's Public School Athletic League champion Medgar Evers in a Class A semifinal game Friday at 1:30 p.m.

Here is the New York Post's game story on Evers' PSAL title win.

According to the Post, the Cougars aren't going to be coming with guns ablaze at the Civic Center:
"Medgar Evers will meet the state public school ‘A’ representative in the New York State Federation Class A semifinals Friday at Glens Falls Civic Center. Davis already said that he’s going to start five seniors in that game and the trip is for fun more than anything. The real accolade has already been achieved."

It will be interesting to see how the relative home court advantage in Glens Falls plays out for Averill Park and whether or not the Gold Mine shows up in force on a school day.

The semifinal winner will face the City's Catholic School champion, St. Anthony's of Melville, which received a bye, in the championship game.

Newsday is the hometown paper for St. Anthony, but they charge for online content.

MSG Varsity also covers St. Anthony's, but they also charge for content.

2010 Federation Tournament of Champions Schedule

GIRLS BASKETBALL
All games at Glens Falls Civic Center
Friday March, 26
Class B semifinals
St. Mary's vs. Goldstein High School for Science, 10 a.m.
Long Island Lutheran vs. Irvington, 11:45 a.m.
Class A semifinal
Medgar Evers vs. Averill Park, 1:30 p.m.

Saturday, March 27
Class B Championship, 10:30 a.m.
Class A Championship
St. Anthony's of Melville vs. semifinal winner, 12:15 p.m.
Class AA semifinal
Murry Bergtraum vs. Christ the King (Queens), 2 p.m.

Sunday, March 28
Class AA Championship
Sachem East vs. semifinal winner, 1 p.m.

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Maple Hill girls basketball players Alyssa O'Connor (22) and Erin Mosher (20) react after the Wildcats' loss to Tioga Central in the New York State Class C semifinals Saturday afternoon.

Maple Hill senior guard Kristen DerGurahian (10) chases a loose ball with Tioga's Kacie Hoyt in hot pursit during Saturday's Class C semifinal. Tioga won, 52-42.

Maple Hill junior center Katie Roth (40) battles for a rebound with Tioga's Korin Eckstrom (12) and Marissa Miller (33) during Saturday's New York State Class C semifinal game at Hudson Valley Community College.

It must have been a tough way for the Wildcats, who came into the game with an undefeated record, to end the season, but they made basketball history in Castleton. No other girls basketball team in Maple Hill history had every won a regional title before.

Maple Hill doesn't get nearly as much competition day-in and day-out in the Patroon Conference as do the teams from the Wasaren League and the Colonial Council, so for the Wildcats to continue to play at a high level in the postseason speaks volumes to the caliber of team they were this season.

They'll certainly miss the departure of seniors such as Kristen DerGurahian, Alyssa O'Connor, Jessica Dailey, Anna Racz and Samantha Hendrick, but the Wildcats will return a solid group of players and should again be among the Class C contenders in Section II in 2011.