GRAHAMSVILLE--Sports competition can be a powerfully evocative, emotional experience and powerful waves of emotions took over the Class C Division V league basketball game between the Tri-Valley lady Bears and Sullivan West last Thursday when two of Tri-Valley's leading players suffered game ending knee injuries five minutes into the first quarter of play.
Junior guard Morgan Shamro and Junior forward Angelina DiToro both suffered knee injuries but DiToro reentered the game in the third quarter only to be forced to leave when it appeared she suffered additional injury.
No team or coach enjoys taking a win like this one but there has to be a winner and loser in every game as the Bulldogs won the right to get into sectional play with a 46-35 win.
"You don't ever want to have to win a game like that," an emotional Sullivan West coach Pat Donovan said in his opening post game remarks.
Tri-Valley coach John Tenbus noted that "with the injuries in a tough game like this I'm more proud of them tonight than any of the 10 wins we had this year."
"They battled to the end" and "we were fighting our way back and we could have easily folded and said boo is us with all the injuries and things that happened but they still continued to get after it and they me proud, they made their team mates proud and they made the community proud," Tenbus added.
"We're still division champs with them (Sullivan West) and we're still in sectionals," Tenbus said.
Initial medical reports on Shamro, Tri-Valley's leading scorer averaging 16-points per game, who left the gym in a wheel chair, were negative which also could mean no broken bones but she was to see an orthopedic doctor yesterday for further evaluation.
DiToro, one of the team's top re-bounders averaged between five and eight points per game and might be available for the sectionals.
Speculation is that Shamro's injury might cause her to miss the remainder of the season including the sectionals.
And yes, there was a basketball game played that night and Sullivan West's leading scorer Josephine Martinez started her 15-point scoring attack with a quick two-pointer following the opening tip controlled by the Bulldogs.
Sullivan West stretched the lead in the first quarter to 5-2 with 7:25 on the clock and then Shamro went down and minutes later DiToro suffered her injury.
The Bulldogs finished the first eight minutes of play scoring 14 points with Josephine Martinez adding seven on two two-pointers and a trey, four points by McKinley Bernitt, a two-pointer by Danielle Brockner and a foul shot by Sabrina Martinez.
The Bears struggled posting only six points with Samantha Raymond's two two-pointers and two points from Nicole Beach.
The second quarter found Sullivan West outscoring Tri-Valley 11-7 with Sabrina Martinez finding the net for five points off a two-pointer and three foul shots while Josephine Martinez added two two-pointers. Nicole Beach scored a trey for the Bears who also got two points from Jaclyn Musa and Anna Hendrickson.
Coach Tenbus rallied his team in the third quarter and the Bears fought their way back to outscore Sullivan West 14-13 off the scoring efforts of Musa with two two-pointers, Taylor Cox with four points, Raymond with four points and Jill Mungeer adding two points. Sabrina Martinez led the Bulldogs with five-points off two two-pointers and a foul shot.
An aggressive defense by the Bears in the third quarter limited Sullivan West to six points off of one field goal and four foul shots. Tri-Valley got their eight points in the final eight minutes of play off two treys by Musa and Cox and a two-pointer by Musa.
Turnovers were almost even with Tri-Valley committing 18 and Sullivan West 14.
Twin sisters Josephine and Sabrina Martinez led the scoring for Sullivan West, Josephine with 15 points off six two-pointers and a trey and Sabrina with 14 points off three two-pointers and eight free throws.
Jaclyn Musa had 11 points for the Bears off four two-pointers and a trey while Samantha Reymond added eight points off four 2's.
Sullivan West upped their record a 7-7 and 1-1 in league play while Tri-Valley's record with this game went to 10-7 and 1-1 in OCIAA league play.
Bulldogs coach Pat Donovan liked the way his team "executed their plays" and he indicated "that is looks right now that the four teams in Class C sectionals will be Sullivan West, Tri-Valley, Pine Plains and Millbrook."
Playing without their two-injured players Tri-Valley was again in action at Eldred Friday night and lost to the Yellowjackets 50-35 as Jordan Lepes scored 17 or her 24 points in the second half.
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PHOTOS FROM THIS GAME
Tri-Valley coach John Tenbus, center, with the two senior girls honored on Senior Night, Kacie Allison, left, and Nicole Beach.
Sullivan West's Josephine Martinez goes up for a two-pointer seconds after the opening tip as the Bulldogs went on to defeat Tri-Valley 46-35 last Thursday in a must win game that propelled them into the Class C sectionals.
Tri-Valley's leading scorer, Morgan Shamro, left, with her right knee iced down and Angelina DiToro, one the teams leading re-bounder, holding her bandaged left knee, were forced to the sidelines with their injuries early in the first quarter of the Sullivan West-Tri-Valley game last Thursday at Grahamsville.
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