No. 1 in state vs. No 2 in state for Class B state championship at 6 p.m.
By JOHN ANDERSON, photos by STEVE HARRISON
TROY — You can put your best defenders on Raegan Evingham and Selena Maldonado and figure if you stop the point guard and the dominator in the paint, you can beat the Hornell Red Raiders.
Chenango Forks attempted that in the state final four on Friday morning at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy. But as we’ve written here for years, you can’t simulate Selena Speed in practice.
And you can’t measure Raegan’s heart.
Maldonado scored 17 points while Evingham dominated inside on defense and scored a game-high 18 points to lift Hornell to a 53-47 win.
Evingham, a sophomore, was 4-for-7 from 3-point range and Maldonado. a junior, knocked down 8-of-10 free throws to keep Forks at bay.
And then there’s Jordyn Drying. The junior guard made clutch free throws and a 3-point dagger to put the game away. Dyring had 16 points and five rebounds.
Payton Bentley, a junior, had eight rebounds for Hornell and junior Mia Nasca, a junior guard and three assists and two rebounds.
Hornell faces Cold Spring Harbor of of Section VIII tonight at 6 p.m. as the Seahawks are No. 1 in the state at 22-1 and have won 15 straight games.
Cold Spring Harbor beat Vorheesville, 62-31.
In case you missed it, here was Bill Collmer’s report on Cold Spring Harbor and Hornell (photo gallery follows)
Cold Spring Harbor Seahawks
Section Eight Champion, 22-2
When talking about Cold Springs Harbor and girls sports, basketball is not the first thing that comes to mind. This is a Lacrosse school, The Seahawks have won three State Championships in Girls Lacrosse in the last seven years, winning the Class C State Championship in 2018 and 2019 and the Class D State Championship last season. They’ve won the overall Long Island class D Championship the last four seasons (21-24).
Coach Rory Malone has Coached Girls Varsity Basketball at Cold Spring Harbor the last fifteen seasons. He knows Lacrosse comes first for these girls.
“We have athletes. We are a lacrosse team who happens to play basketball. We play fast and loose. We like to press and get up and down the court quickly,” Malone said. “It feels amazing to be in the State Final Four, our girls have worked hard all year. They have earned this opportunity and looking forward to the challenge.”
Malone has had a chance to scout his semifinal opponent Voorheesville.
“We have watched film; they are an excellent team. Very well coached. They can really shoot the ball well. It’s going to be a difficult game,” he said.
The Seahawks last loss was January 16, to Wantagh, 61-55. They’ve rattled off 15 straight wins spanning two months. Wantagh is playing in the Class A State Semifinal Friday at 1:30 p.m.
They have 17 girls on their roster, five seniors, one junior, four sophomores, and seven freshmen.
Road to the Final Four: Cold Spring Harbor won by forfeit in the first round over East Rockaway, Cold Spring Harbor defeated Carle Place in the Championship game 63-28. They defeated Babylon 57-22 in the State Quarterfinal.
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE: Lost to Class A Champion Wantagh (22-2), (61-55) Defeated Section 11 Champion Babylon (19-3) 57-22, Lost to Timber Creek Fl, (25-5) 51-37, Defeated Milken CA, (20-4) 55-37, Defeated Preston, WV (21-4) 39-30.
Players to Watch for Cold Spring Harbor: Olivia Mulada So. G 13.6 PPG, 2.6 APG, 65.7 % FT Maggie Spehr Sr. G 10.7 PPG, 2.5 APG, 45.2% FT, Ainsley Dircks Fr. G. 8.8 PPG, 2.1 APG, 55% FT, Ryan Reynolds Sr. F 8.4 PPG, 3.5 APG 58% FT.
Going the Distance: Cold Spring Harbor is 3 hours and 11 minutes from Hudson Valley Community College.
STATE RANKING: No.1
WINNING STREAK: 16 games
Hornell Red Raiders
Section Five Champions, 23-3
Just like when the football team went on their three-year run with NYS State Championships, the Hornell community is behind the girls’ basketball team in full force.
“It’s unbelievable. The support we’ve gotten all year, but especially these last few weeks, has been incredible. You can feel the energy in the community, and it means so much to the girls. They know they’re not just playing for themselves—they’re playing for the whole town, and they are proud to represent our community,” Dagon said.
Road to the Final Four: Hornell topped Livonia 58-38 to open their Class B1 tournament and followed that up with a 62-26 win over Penn Yan. The Red Raiders defeated Mynderse 36-27 to win the Class B1 tournament. In the regional qualifier, Hornell downed B2 Champion Lyons 76-44. Hornell defeated Section VI Class B Champion Salamanca 68-32 in the State Quarterfinal.
Players to watch for Hornell: Jordyn Dyring Jr. G (18.8 PPG 4.8 RPG, 2.7 APG, 2.3 SPG); Selena Maldonado Jr. G (11.3 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 5.5 APG, 4.0 SPG); Raegan Evingham So. F (10.3 PPG 8.3 RPG 4.1 SPG. 3.2 APG); Payton Bentley Jr F. (10.3 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 3.6 BPG, 1.2 SPG); Mia Nasca Jr. G (3.6 PPG 3.1 RPG 3.1 APG, 2 SPG);
SECTION IV: Hornell played three Section IV teams during the regular season, defeating Class B Watkins Glen 56-31, Class AAA Corning Painted Post 69-43 and 70-37. They also defeated Class AAA Sectional Champion Elmira 49-43. Chenango Forks didn’t play any of those schools during the season.
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE: Hornell’s losses were to Class AA Aquinas twice (22-1) and LCAA Rival Keshequa (23-2) they also defeated Keshequa. Aquinas is playing in the AA State Semifinals this weekend while Keshequa (23-2) fell in the State Quarterfinals to Section VI Champion Frewsburg. Defeated Section IV AAA Champion Elmira (14-6) 49-43. Defeated AA Victor (9-11) 57-41. Defeated Caledonia-Mumford (19-4) 53-44
Going the Distance: Hornell is 3 Hours and 54 minutes from Hudson Valley Community College.
STATE RANKING: No. 2
WINNING STREAK: Eight games
“I’m incredibly proud of this team and grateful for the opportunity to coach them. We’re going to give everything we have to finish the job and bring this thing home,” Dagon concluded.
