Hoosick Falls High School sophomore pitcher Rachel Quackenbush deals during Wednesday's game against Hoosic Valley in the Section II Class CC championship game. Quackenbush pitched a perfect game and led the Panthers to an 8-0 victory at Clifton Common. (Photos by J.S. Carras - The Record).

It was just another day at the office for Hoosick Falls High School sophomore Rachel Quackenbush.

Quackenbush had something special cooking in the Section II Class CC softball championship game, but her and her Hoosick Falls High School teammates did not recognize it until after the bottom of the fifth inning.

At that point, Quackenbush had faced 15 Hoosic Valley batters and set them all down in order. In the sixth, she struck out the side.

Quackenbush struck out the first two batters she saw in the seventh and up strode Eileen Farrell as the Indians’ last hope for a baserunner. Farrell ripped a line drive to shortstop, but Hoosick Falls senior Jenna Priore was there to make the catch, preserving Quackenbush’s perfect game and a second straight Section II Class CC title for the Panthers in an 8-0 victory at Clifton Common.

Rachel Quackenbush speaks with the media after her perfect game performance against Hoosic Valley.

"I didn’t even know I had a perfect game going until the bottom of the fifth," said Quackenbush. "Then I thought about it and I started getting nervous and I had to buckle down because I had a perfect game going. It’s amazing."

Quackenbush struck out 16 and made two assists in the field in the effort.

For the full story, check out Thursday's edition of The Record.

Hoosic Valley second baseman Chrissy Sanderson watches the ball float in front of her during Wednesday's game against Hoosick Falls.

In three games this year against Hoosic Valley, Quackenbush went 3-0, allowing 0 runs over 21 innings pitched. It's no wonder that coaches from around Section II call her the best pitcher in the area, regardless of her age or classification in which she plays. There aren't many pitchers who could throw a no-hitter, no less a perfect game, with a title on the line for the other team.

There was no secret to her success on Wednesday. She threw it hard - she did mix in a few nasty changeups - and the Hoosic Valley hitters just could not time her up.

"I don’t think she had to throw anything fancy," said Hoosick Falls head coach Charlie Weeden. "When she threw straight heat, they didn’t catch up to it."

Her hot pitching carried a Hoosick Falls team to the New York State Class C Final Four a season ago...but the story in 2010 is that this team can do some damage with the bat.

Junior third baseman Karley Morin went 3-for-3 with three RBI and two runs scored in Wednesday's championship game.

Morin played right field a season ago, but moved to third base this year.

"This year we put her at third base and she’s played great at third base," Weeden said of Morin. "I think she’s the best third baseman in our league."

For more from Quackenbush and Morin, check out the video in this post.

Jenna Priore, Shelby Jones, Katie Kovage, Marissa Davendonis, Samantha Skott and Alysson Schneider also added base hits for the Panthers in the 10-hit attack.

Hoosic Valley, it should be noted, made an unlikely, yet inspiring, run to the title game. The No. 8 seeded Indians topped No. 1 Lake George in the quarterfinals and beat No. 4 Maple Hill in the semis, setting up a third game against Wasaren League rival Hoosick Falls.

The Indians have a roster of primarily younger players and should be a threat in the Wasaren and in Section II yet again in 2011.

Rachel Quackenbush prepares to throw the ball against Hoosic Valley Wednesday afternoon in Clifton Park.

It was her second perfect game on the varsity level. She also tossed one as an eighth-grader.

No. 2 Hoosick Falls plays Section II Class C champion Duanesburg in Friday's Class CC/C Playoff game, which will be contested at 5 p.m. at Clifton Common. Tickets are $6 and the section-wide awards ceremony will precede the games.

Hoosick Falls won a 1-0 non-league contest over Duanesburg earlier this season. It should be an instant classic between two of Section II's premier programs.

The box score is below. Click on it to see a full-size image.

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Our Ed Weaver was all over the games at Veeder Park, where Cohoes and Columbia both lost in the semifinal round.

Taconic Hills scored on the international tiebreaker rule in the 10th inning, posting a 1-0 victory over the Tigers.

Taconic Hills' Aleshia Link struck out 16 in the game, and she fanned two in the bottom of the 10th inning to protect the Titans' precarious lead as Cohoes had the game-tying and game-winning runs in scoring position.

"Yeah, they were some tears," said Cohoes sophomore pitcher Courtney Dayter. "We have a five seniors and they felt pretty bad."

"We just didn’t get it done," said Cohoes coach Frank Ryan. "We didn’t hit the whole game. Usually, someone gets a key hit or two but not today."

Ryan had commented for my column on the international tiebreaker rule in May.

This was what he said at the time:

“You get a runner on second, you bunt her over and you hope something happens,” said Cohoes head coach Frank Ryan. “You score and then they have the same scenario. You gave them a run and now we’re going to try to give you a run. It’s not like you really earn the run. I’d rather just play, myself.”

Not that Ryan was blaming Wednesday's loss on the rule at all....I just found it ironic that his team was the first to lose a game with the rule in effect this postseason.

Taconic Hills and Mechanicville should be a great game on Friday.

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Bethlehem beat Columbia, winning the season series 2-1, and advancing to the Section II Class AA title game against upstart Colonie with a 3-1 victory over the Blue Devils

"We haven’t been in the finals in over 10 years," said a jubilant Bethlehem coach Karen Gentile, who also added the school last won a Section II softball title 31 years ago.

The Eagles scored twice in the second inning, as McKenzie Pezza doubled home one run and scored on Kat Rice’s single against Columbia ace Jena Servidone.
They added another run in the fourth.

"Jena pitched very well," Columbia coach Gary Holtz said. "That one inning, they put some people on and that was it. They’re very good at (producing runs) and they work very hard at it."

For the full story on both of those games, check out Thursday's edition of The Record.

Section II softball championship games

Friday, June 4
All games at Clifton Common at 5:15 p.m. following Section II awards ceremony
Admission is $6
Class AA

S9 Colonie vs. S2 Bethlehem

Class A

1 South Glens Falls vs. 2 Ichabod Crane

Class B

1 Mechanicville vs. 3 Taconic Hills

Class CC/C Playoff

CC2 Hoosick Falls vs. C 1 Duanesburg

Class D

1 Germantown vs. 2 Hartford

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A Bethlehem High parent has passed along the following information:

Jessica Mendoza, a former Olympic medalist winner and a softball player for Team USA, will be coming to Delmar in September to work with the Bethlehem Tomboys in a clinic. Local college coaches and players will also be present at the camp.

For more information and a flyer, click here to view the Tomboys' website.

It isn't free (the cost is $150 per session), but it certainly is interesting that a high-level athlete is coming to the Capital Region to work with the area's high school-age players.

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Do you have any other news of upcoming camps (baseball, soccer, basketball, etc) in the area? Please send it in to the email address above on the right-hand side.

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Bethlehem's Eric Halek celebrates a goal - he scored four - in Saturday's 8-6 Section II Class A semifinal victory over Christian Brothers Academy. (Photos by Mike McMahon - The Record).

Competing in Bethlehem High’s first sectional semifinal in boys lacrosse, Erik Halek and his teammates had nothing to lose.

With the Eagles brimming with confidence which grew throughout the game, Halek, a senior attackman who played through an ankle injury, scored four goals as Bethlehem forged an early lead and held off a furious comeback bid to oust Christian Brothers Academy, 8-6 on Saturday in a Class A semifinal at CBA.

By reaching the first sectional final in the history of the program, the third-seeded Eagles (12-6) denied the second-seeded Brothers (13-5) a trip in what would have been their first title game.

"This is the furthest we’ve gone in school history," Halek said. "This is a huge step for our program."

The Eagles advance to face top-seeded Shenendehowa (17-1) in the Class A final on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at the University at Albany.

Our Chris Fitz Gerald caught the CBA game, as well as Shen's 12-5 victory over Guilderland. Look for his full story on both games in Sunday's edition of The Record.

CLASS A SEMIFINALS

BETHLEHEM 8, CBA 6

Bethlehem (12-6) 1 2 3 2 - 8
CBA (13-5) 0 2 1 3 - 6
Scoring: Bethlehem - Johnson, 2-0; Halek, 4-0; Wagner, 1-0; Drew, 1-0. CBA - Medici, 1-1; Cassin, 1-1; Bassett, 2-1; Risler, 0-1; Jensen, 1-0; Sherman, 1-1.
Goalie saves: Bethlehem - Ferguson, 13. CBA - Hans, 13.

SHENENDEHOWA 12, GUILDERLAND 5

Guilderland 1 0 2 2 - 5
Shenendehowa 5 3 3 1 - 12
Scoring: Guilderland - Sellie, 2-0; Jones, 1-2; Somers, 1-0; Wood, 1-0; Dyer, 0-2; Stanish, 0-1. Shenendehowa - Connors, 1-0; Jenkins, 3-1; Daly 3-0; Stephens, 2-0; Arnold, 0-1; Coll, 3-2; Powell, 0-1.
Goalie saves: Guilderland - Klim, 13; DePersis, 0. Shenendehowa - Wardwell, 13; Woloss, 1.

CBA's Jack Reilly navigates through the Bethlehem defense during Saturday's Section II Class A playoff game at CBA.

Every Sunday in The Record, we will be featuring a local athlete to give you a glimpse of their lives far away from the playing fields. This week, we featured Christian Brothers Academy senior Jack Reilly, who is headed to Johns Hopkins on a lacrosse scholarship. Here were Reilly's answers to our questions:

Class: Senior/2010
College I will attend: Johns Hopkins.
What’s on TV: Sportscenter, espn2, ESPNU.
What’s in my IPod: A lot of variety; rap, a lot of pre-game warmup songs and rock songs - all different kinds of music.
Favorite Flicks: Remember The Titans.
What’s I’m reading: Inside Lacrosse magazine, ESPN the Magazine.
Love to trade places for a day with: Michael Jordan or Steve Forbes. Someone in his field who is very, very powerful.
Talent I’d most like to have: I’d like to be able to do back flips.
Favorite Meal: Spaghetti and meatballs.
Favorite athletes I watch in different sports: Alfonso Soriano of the Chicago Cubs, even though I’m a Mets fan; Lebron James in basketball and (Landon) Donovan of U.S. soccer.
Favorite place to visit: Probably home. When I’m not out playing sports and traveling a lot with lacrosse and stuff like that, I like to stay at home.
Favorite sports teams: New York Mets, Boston Celtics and the New York Jets.
Favorite physical attribute: Being able to jump into certain situations and do certain things to help the team out.
Favorite subjects: Math and History.
Favorite Restaurant: Mario’s in Niskayuna and Lombardo’s in Albany.
Friday night, there isn’t a game and I’m: Get together with a few friends, get a slice of pizza or go see a movie, but mostly I’d be sleeping. I would be resting up because of all the running and everything I’m doing - I love to sleep.
Heroes: For long time was hero was Tiger Woods before the incident happened. On the field, I’d have to say him. But off the field, I would say Jackie Robinson by far he’s somebody to look up to.
Superstitions: A lot of people ask that, but I can’t say because they’ll be broken. I will say that my dad does cut my hair before every single game and I have to sit in the exact same chair.
My Motto: It’s a motto my mom and I came up with that I have written up on the wall - ‘Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.’

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Bethlehem High School junior Jaci Oskam has given her verbal commitment to play college basketball at Quinnipiac University of the Northeast Conference.

Oskam chose Quinnipiac over schools such as Old Dominion, Sacred Heart and Princeton. Oskam is a four-year varsity basketball player at Bethlehem and has also spent seven years with the Albany Capitals AAU squad.

She has played four seasons of varsity volleyball and won a pair of Section II titles.

Oskam joins fellow Suburban Council star Tehresa Coles in making a decision to play Division I basketball this week. Yesterday, Coles made her verbal agreement to play at Siena College.

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Bethlehem High's softball team had scored just one run off Columbia's Jena Servidone in the last 28 innings of action between the two teams, but the Eagles' offense exploded Monday afternoon.

Columbia's Paige Sovey (13) is tagged out at home plate in the second inning of Monday's Suburban Council softball game by Bethlehem catcher Sammy Smaldone (with ball). Bethlehem won, 8-4. (Photo by Tom Killips - The Record).

Bethlehem head coach Karen Gentile called it a "fluke." Columbia's Jena Servidone, who had allowed just one run in her last 28 innings pitched against Bethlehem, was touched up by the Eagles Monday afternoon with the Suburban Council South Division title on the line.

The Eagles connected on 10 base hits and made the most of four Columbia errors, posting an 8-4 victory in East Greenbush. Meghan Burns led the offensive attack with three hits and three RBI while Sammy Smaldone added two RBI.

"We’ve seen Jena the last few years and she knows us," said Bethlehem head coach Karen Gentile. "She usually shuts us down. Today was a fluke. I don’t expect this to happen every time. She is a very, very good pitcher."

Bethlehem starter Toni Edwards walked two hitters in the first inning and allowed a single run in the third, but was otherwise solid through six innings.

Then the Blue Devils started to mount a comeback in the seventh. Edwards' first seven pitches in the inning were balls and she walked five around a strikeout, forcing Gentile to bring Erica Palleschi in from the bullpen.

Palleschi allowed Caitlyn Cooper to drive in two runs on a single, but retired the next two batters in order to preserve the 8-4 victory.

Bethlehem (12-3, 16-3) hosts Guilderland Wednesday in its Suburban Council finale. Columbia (11-4, 15-4) travels to Mohonasen Wednesday with a chance to split the division title if the Eagles stumble against Guilderland.

Suburban Council

North Division
Shenendehowa, 14-0, 18-0
Saratoga Springs, 8-5, 9-5
Shaker, 7-5, 7-5
Niskayuna, 6-6, 6-6
Burnt Hills, 4-8, 4-8
Ballston Spa, 1-11, 1-11

South Division
Bethlehem, 12-3, 16-3
Columbia, 11-4, 15-4
Guilderland, 7-8, 8-10
Colonie, 6-8, 8-8
Averill Park, 5-10, 5-10
Mohonasen, 2-10, 2-10

The Eagles had lost three straight before beating some of the best teams in the state en route to winning the prestigious ‘Ace’ Morabito Tournament title in Binghamton the weekend before last.

"I give them credit because we handled them, Shen beat them and they lost to Ballston Spa," said Columbia High head coach Gary Holtz. "And then they came back. They have the ability to do that, so I really give them credit for that."

We will see how the Blue Devils rebound in the postseason. Along with Shenendehowa and Bethlehem, Columbia has to be considered one of the favorites for the Section II Class AA title.

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Columbia third baseman Hillary Faas dives to rob Bethlehem's Mary Beth Dombrowksi of a base hit in the third inning of Tuesday's game at Veeder Park in Colonie. Faas made a great scoop in the seventh as the Blue Devils played flawless defense behind starting pitcher Jena Servidone in a 4-0 Section II Class AA semifinal victory. (all photos by Tom Killips - The Record).

Columbia (18-6) advanced to face No. 6 Niskayuna in Friday’s Section II Class AA title game at Clifton Common. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m.

Columbia turned 12 Bethlehem ground balls into outs and Servidone added six strikeouts in her second shutout of the Eagles this season. The Blue Devils players were laughing and joking and having a great time all afternoon, which left them comfortable and carefree to play great defense in the field.

"You just know it’s coming," Faas said. "You look at someone like that and you just have to be ready. I’m down and ready and you just have to be prepared for that kind of play."

Columbia's junior pitcher Jena Servidone winds up during Tuesday's game at Veeder Park. In 21 innings against the Eagles this year, she allowed eight hits and a lone, controversial run in a 1-0 defeat at Columbia on May 13.

"Our defense was rock solid today," Servidone said. "Everyone played great. Hillary (Faas) made three or four great plays at third and we’re going to be tough to beat when we play that kind of defense."

Columbia catcher Shannon Dougherty connects on an RBI as part of a three-run second inning for the Blue Devils against Bethlehem's sophomore ace Toni Edwards. Edwards did not allow a baserunner past second base after the second inning, keeping the Eagles in the game.

The Blue Devils last appeared in a Section II title game in 2003, when they lost to Shenendehowa. The Lady Plainsmen went on to win the next six in a row, but they were knocked out by Niskayuna in the quarterfinal round.

"Bethlehem is going to be a force to be reckoned with, they are so young," said Columbia head coach Gary Holtz, "just as Niskayuna is going to be a force to be reckoned with."

Holtz said he's seen a lot of changes in the game over the years, perhaps the biggest being the tendency for girls in recent years to split off to different summer teams in the offseason. In the past, a high school team used to stick together as a unit, even in the summertime.

But, with a little bit of fun and a little bit of leadership, the Blue Devils have put together what has been a winning mixture so far.

"I give Sam Chevalier, as our captain, all the credit in the world for bringing these kids together and for getting them on the same page," Holtz said. "She does the little things. She knows what’s going on. She may be the best leader I’ve ever had."


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Lansingburgh catcher Meg Volz applies the tag to a Ichabod Crane baserunner in Tuesday's Class A semifinal at Veeder Park. The Lady Knights put together a great comeback rally to post a 6-4 victory and advance to Friday's championship game against No. 1 seed South Glens Falls.

Lansingburgh's designated player Sam Mattey (18) motors down the baseline in Tuesday's game. She finished with two hits and two RBI in the victory.

Lansingburgh senior pitcher Erin Glikes fires towards home plate against Ichabod Crane. She saw the Riders post a four-spot in the third inning but watched as her teammates put together a three-run rally in the bottom of the fourth.

"It’s amazing," Glikes said. "I’ve been varsity since seventh grade and this is my fourth semifinal and I’ve never made it to the finals. I really wanted to get this for us."

It certainly doesn't get any easier for the Lady Knights. South Glens Falls has won the past four Section II titles in Class A and went on to win the state championship in 2007.

"They certainly have the experience of being in championship games," John Cipperly said. "They’ve been in all of them and we’ll be up against that experience. We know that they graduated some kids from last year who were prominent players. They have the advantage of being the top seed, but once you get to the final - it’s on neutral territory. We know have an experienced pitcher and we’ll just go from there."

Be sure to check out the full story on both games in Wednesday's edition of The Record.

Updated Section II softball brackets.

Updated Section II baseball brackets.

Columbia High junior Jena Servidone pitches during Wednesday Suburban Council South Division game against Bethlehem High. Servidone went the distance, allowed only three hits and one baserunner through the last four innings, but still took a hard-luck 1-0 loss. (All photos by J.S. Carras - The Record).

The only run of the game scored on a weird and wacky play. Bethlehem’s Jill Venezia singled to center field to lead off the inning and moved to second base on a Marybeth Dombrowski groundout. Megan Crucetti followed with a hard-hit ball to the shortstop hole with Columbia’s Sam Chevalier and Venezia colliding as the ball skipped into the outfield.
Offensive interference was not called and the run scored.

Bethlehem sophomore Toni Edwards pitched a two-hit complete game, striking out seven and stranding eight Blue Devils on the basepaths.

"They got the run and I wish it didn’t come down to that run, but Toni Edwards has become one of the best pitchers around," said Columbia head coach Gary Holtz. "We know that is one heck of a team. I though Jena pitched a heck of a game, but Toni outbattled her and it had the feeling of a playoff game. Bethlehem is going to be right in it."

"Meg Crucetti had a nice hit up the middle, the runner was advancing from second and it was a questionable interference call there and they didn’t call it," said Bethlehem head coach Karen Gentile. "The run scored and that was the only offense for the whole game. It was an awesome game."

Columbia third baseman Hillary Fass makes one of her five assists to first base during Wednesday's game. She also made a nice catch up against the Blue Devils dugout and stroked one of Columbia's two hits.

Columbia (11-2, 13-4) had an opportunity to clinch the South Division title outright with a win over the Eagles, but holds on to their magic number of two. Any combination of Columbia wins or Bethlehem (9-4, 12-4) losses totaling two clinches the South Division for the Blue Devils.

Columbia's Shannon Dougherty lays down a sacrifice bunt in the third inning for the Blue Devils. She advanced two runners into scoring position with the first out of the frame, but a foul pop-up and a strikeout ended Columbia's best chance of pushing any runs across the plate.

Columbia tried a rally in the seventh, as Anna Carey's one-out single put the game-tying run on base. Bethlehem third baseman Megan Burns, however, made a great diving catch in foul territory to record the second out on Columbia's Meg Hallenbeck.

Sam Chevalier followed with a walk, the game-winning run on first base, but Edwards got Dougherty to pop up to second base to end the game.

"We were looking forward to this because we wanted another chance against Columbia," Edwards said. "We know they have a good record but we knew we could beat them. We came in confident and I pitched my game and didn’t let anyone get in my head."

Servidone catches a pop-up to retire Megan Burns in the first inning. She put down the last 10 Bethlehem hitters in order, doing all she could to keep the Blue Devils within striking distance.

"Jena is having a heck of a year but Toni was a little bit better today," Holtz said. "That’s the way it goes. The playoffs are going to be exciting because there are any number – I think seven or eight – of teams that can be competitive."

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Here are the latest New York State polls, which came in late Wednesday night:

2009 NYSSCOGS/NYSSWA
Softball State Rankings - week 4

Poll editor: Perry L. Novak
(May 6-12)

Class AA
1: 20-1 LI St. John Baptist-CHS
2: 17-0 Valley Central-9
3: 17-0 Tottenville-PSAL
4: 14-1 North Rockland-1
5: 13-0 Clarence-6
6: 17-2 Bay Shore-11
7: 18-2 West Babylon-11
8: 14-2 Cicero-North Syracuse-3
9: 14-2 Fairport-5
10: 13-3 Columbia-2
11: 17-2 Liverpool-3
12: 14-3 Shenendehowa-2
13: 17-3 East Islip-11
14: 10-4 Horseheads-4
15: 13-2 Hyde Park FDR-1
16: 12-2 Troy-2
17: 10-3 East Meadow-8
18: 12-2 Arlington-1
19: 12-2 Webster Thomas-5
20: 10-4 Lancaster-6
21: 12-3 Carey-8
22: 10-2 Williamsville North-6
23: 13-5 Long Beach-8
24: 16-4 West Genesee-3
25: 12-8 Union-Endicott-4

Class A
1: 13-0 Maine-Endwell-4
2: 16-1 Victor-5
3: 11-1 Pearl River-1
4: 15-3 Corning West-4
5: 10-1 Lakeland-1
6: 14-3 Lansingburgh-2
7: 11-1 South Glens Falls-2
8: 14-3 Floral Park-8
9: 15-3 Hauppauge-11
10: 10-2 Port Jervis-9
11: 16-2 Seaford-8
12: 16-2 Mt. Sinai-11
13: 12-3 Pittsford Mendon-5
14: 7-2 West Seneca East-6
15: 12-3 Newark-5
16: 11-2 Cornwall-9
17: 10-2 Harrison-1
18: 14-4 Oneida-3
19: 11-1 Malone-10
20: 12-3 Phoenix-3
20: 12-3 Kings Park-11

Class B
1: 15-3 Hampton Bays-11
2: 17-4 Windsor-4
3: 13-2 Chenango Valley-4
4: 13-1-1 Mechanicville-2
5: 16-2 Canastota-3
6: 16-5 Immaculata-CHS
7: 14-1 Putnam Valley-1
8: 15-4 Susquehanna Valley-4
9: 9-2-1 Highland-9
10: 14-2 Wayland-Cohocton-5
11: 14-3 Fredonia-6
12: 14-0 South Jefferson-3
13: 11-1 Dobbs Ferry-1
14: 13-5 St. Dominic-CHS
15: 14-1 Canton-10
16: 15-2 Newark Valley-4
17: 14-2 Schuylerville-2
18: 8-4 Waterloo-5
19: 11-5 Westhill-3
20: 12-3 Falconer-6

Class C
1: 10-0 Chester-9
2: 14-2 Greene-4
3: 15-1 Duanesburg-2
4: 9-2 Sandy Creek-3
5: 14-2 Tioga-4
6: 9-1 Haldane-1
7: 14-4 Pulaski-3
8: 14-5 Elmira Notre Dame-4
9: 11-2 Chapel Field-9
10: 14-3 Oakfield-Alabama-5
11: 11-1 St. Lawrence-10
12: 5-0 Perry-5
13: 11-3 Ticonderoga-7
14: 8-1 Warsaw-5
15: 13-4 Hoosick Falls-2
16: 6-0 Gananda-5
17: 9-4 Lake George-2
18: 9-2 Tuxedo-9
19: 14-4 Lancaster St. Mary’s-CHS
20: 9-4 Cassadaga Valley-6

Class D
1: 18-2 Afton-4
2: 16-0 Ripley-6
3: 10-1 Heuvelton-10
4: 7-1 Livingston Manor-9
5: 8-0 Elba-5
6: 12-1 Fillmore-5
7: 13-1 Bolivar-Richburg-5
8: 11-0 Oriskany-3
9: 9-0 Poland-3
10: 8-0 Crown Point-7
11: 12-4 Stockbridge Valley-3
12: 9-4 Northstar Christian-5
13: 14-0 Downsville-4
14: 11-3 Hartford-2
15: 12-1 Forestville-6
16: 9-4 Fort Ann-2
17: 10-3 Schenevus-4
18: 10-1 Milford-4
19: 10-3 Jefferson-4
20: 12-4 Hamilton-3

Bethlehem's Alex McCullough (52) corrals a rebound during Tuesday's 54-49 victory over Shaker. She finished with game-highs in points (19), rebounds (7) and blocks (5). The Eagles let an early 14-point lead slip away but ultimately fought off a furious rally by the Blue Bison. (All photos by Tom Killips - The Record).

Shaker's freshman center Lauren Woods (14) grabs a rebound during Tuesday's game. She finished with eight points and six rebounds.

Shaker's Erica Houle (with ball) knocked down three treys and scored 13 points for Shaker. She hit a three-pointer on the first play of the game and sparked Shaker's 6-0 run in the second quarter with another three. The Blue Bison have yet to string together two victories this season but they've already eclipsed last season's win total and are playing tough under first-year head coach Emily Caschera.

Shaker's Eden Alaxanian drives to the hoop in Tuesday's game. She scored 10 points, which included a pair of second half three-point buckets. Her three-pointer a minute into the fourth quarter brought the Blue Bison to within three points and forced an instant Bethlehem timeout.

Check out the full game story, as well as all of Tuesday's local roundup, in Wednesday's edition of The Record.