Lakeland captures the Class A gold ball by topping Peekskill

Lakeland senior Vicky Kowalski started the job, and senior Kristin Pappalardo finished it.

With Vanderbilt-bound senior Tori Jarosz in foul trouble, the deadly duo combined for 35 points, leading No. 2-seeded Lakeland to a Class A sectional title by defeating No. 4 Peekskill 61-47 on March 3 at the Westchester County Center in White Plains. It’s Lakeland’s second sectional crown in four seasons.

Jarosz picked up her fourth foul with 6:48 left in the fourth quarter, but her best friend Pappalardo was there to pick her up.

“I was the happiest person with four fouls heading to the bench,” Jarosz said. “It really proved that they didn’t need me. They played Lakeland basketball. It doesn’t revolve around one person.”

Pappalardo, who was named the tournament MVP, scored 10 of her 17 points in the fourth quarter. She also went eight-for-eight from the free-throw line in the final frame.
“Throughout the season Tori was out, so I had to continue my roll of stepping up,” Pappalardo said. “We wouldn’t give up in the fourth quarter.”

Lakeland Head Coach Steve Fallo said he feels safe when the ball is in Pappalardo’s hands at the end of the game.

 “She is one of the best free-throw shooters in the clutch situation that I’ve ever been associated with,” Fallo said. “She’ll go to the line and be as cool as anybody could be, and bury them.”

After letting the title slip through their hands in the final minute of the sectional finals last season against Albertus Magnus (48-45 loss), the Hornets wouldn’t let that happen twice. The closest Peekskill got was a 49-40 deficit with 3:16 left after two Troi Nolan free throws.

“We came in with a chip on our shoulders,” Jarosz said. “We didn’t want to go home with a loss.”

From the first day of practice, the Section 1 title has been the goal.

“Finally, all the hard work paid off. It’s so relieving,” Kowalski said. “Our mindset was, ‘We are not losing.’ Anything underneath this championship [would have been] a disappointment.”

Kowalski scored a game-high 18 points, all of which came in the first half. She buried five 3-pointers. Most of her 3s came from the left elbow.

“Who’s got 14 (Kowalski’s number)?” a Peekskill fan pleaded from the upper deck.
Nobody did in the first half.

The senior sharpshooter scored the final four points of the half to get Lakeland out to a 31-23 advantage. She also sank a trey with 39 seconds left in the first quarter to give the Hornets a 14-10 lead.

 While Peekskill was concentrating its efforts on stopping Jarosz, Kowalski was left wide open.

“I came into the game knowing I had to do this for my team,” Kowalski said. “I had to be strong and I had to make these shots.”

Fallo wasn’t surprised by Kowalski’s efforts.

“Once she made the first two you could see she was feeling it, and she’s got the green light,” Fallo said. “She’s done that for us the last three years. She has more 3s than anybody in the last three years on our team, and that’s her strength.”

The Hornets became used to not having Jarosz on the floor. She missed extended time last season with a back injury and has been in and out of the lineup this year, battling an ankle problem. It has only helped the rest of the team’s confidence.

While they were obviously left distraught that she was out, at the same time they realized they needed to play without her. Lakeland posted a quality win over Brewster and took Class AA semifinalist Carmel down to the wire with Jarosz on the sidelines.

Kowalski said they improved their ball movement and defense with Jarosz out.

“If God forbid she was going to be out the whole season, what were we going to do?” Kowalski said. “We still have to show each other that we are a good team and that we are winners.

“When she was out, we definitely built up strength. Then, when Tori came back, we’re just unstoppable. When she was injured, we worked so hard together.”

And they showed what they can do with Jarosz in foul trouble against Peekskill.

“The biggest thing he (Head Coach Steve Fallo) was proud of is that we didn’t crumble without her,” Kowalski said.

Jarosz wasn’t so shabby herself, scoring 14 points in limited action. She went to the bench with her third foul with 3:51 left in the second quarter.

Outside of the dominant trio, Lakeland got its usual contributions across the board from Courtney Stokes (three points), Bridget McGovern (three), Emily Alicea (two), Lesley Echeverria (two) and Christiana Gjelaj (two).

“They’ve done it all year long for us,” Fallo said. “That’s what you need to win the title.”
The Red Devils were riding the momentum train into the finals after surviving a miracle 3-pointer that forced overtime in their semifinal win over Pearl River.

“It was the fuel to our fire,” said Jarosz, an all-tournament selection. “We knew they were going to come in pumped up. We had to match that intensity.”

As a unit, the Hornets have made great strides over the past few seasons. Some of them have played together since fourth grade.

 “We’ve grown as a family,” Pappalardo said, “so that helps on the court and off the court. Our chemistry’s good.”

Peekskill junior forward Tasia Nolan (nine points) fouled out with 4:05 to go in the third quarter.

The Red Devils started off the game hot against Lakeland’s 2-3 zone. Junior forward Jazmin Garcia nailed two quick 3-pointers to get Peekskill out to an 8-2 lead, just minutes into the game. Garcia finished with 14 points.

But after that, Peekskill played into Lakeland’s game plan. The Red Devils didn’t push the ball in their usual up-tempo, frenetic style. They settled for a half-court set.

“Our game plan was to sit in our 2-3 and shorten the game,” said Fallo, who pointed out his Hornets didn’t have many turnovers. “Don’t let them get easy baskets, stay under control and give it to Tori. If we have open jumpers, take what they give us, but don’t panic.”

Garcia and Tasia Nolan were chosen to the all-tournament team for Peekskill (18-4).
 “They have played hard all year long and the girls deserved the awards that they got,” Peekskill Head Coach Rodney Headley Jr. said. “Things didn’t go the way they wanted to but they were a little overmatched (against Lakeland) and that’s being truthful. They were overmatched by a girl (Tori Jarosz) who was taller and more skilled. But overall, they were great this year.”

Sophomore Asia Jackson (13 points) and junior Sheridan Taylor (eight points) also contributed for Peekskill.

For the Red Devils, it was still a milestone season. They secured their first finals’ appearance in program history and first semifinal berth since 1996.

With the entire starting lineup back next season, Peekskill is in prime position to make a run at the gold ball.

 “They’re going to be a force to be reckoned with,” Fallo said.

A force with plenty of inspiration.

“I hope this loss motivates them and is a chip on their shoulder,” Headley Jr. said. “We’re no longer the underdog that’s winning; now we’re expected to be a top-notch team that’s fighting off the underdogs.”

If Lakeland (20-2) wins its regional semifinal against Cornwall (Section 9) on March 9, they will advance to the regional finals to take on Maine-Endwell (Section 4) at SUNY Cortland on March 13 at 2:45 p.m.

“You’re not stopping here,” Kowalski said of what Fallo told his squad in the locker room after the win over Peekskill. “You’re going to keep going and you’re going to keep going up, up, up, until you get to the finals.

“And you’re going to win.”

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