The #6 seeded Cortland Lady Tigers won 36-32 against Central Square (#11 seed) in the first round of the Section III Class A Sectional Tournament.
The Lady Tigers got off to a great start after getting an 18-5 lead at the end of the first quarter, and they led 23-12 at the half. Central Square came within 3 points with under a minute to play, but Cortland was able to seal the deal.
“Central Square is a strong team,” said Cortland Head Coach Janice Meyer. “I knew it was going to be tight. We got a nice lead in the second half, but I think we got a little complacent.”
“They (Central Square) tried some different things so they were able to claw themselves back in,'' added Coach Meyer. “Luckily we pulled out the win, but we have to clean up some of those mistakes going into Bishop Ludden on Tuesday.”
Cortland was led by Margaret Starr (9 points), Mallory Turner (7 points), and Claire Turner (6 points).
Central Square was led by Natalie Bush (9 points), Samantha Haley (8 points), and Natalee Crandall (7 points).
Here is a quarter by quarter breakdown of the game:
Up next, the Lady Tigers will take on the #3 seeded Bishop Ludden Knights in the quarter-final round of the sectional tournament on Tuesday (February 22nd) on the road at 6pm.
“Bishop Ludden will be by far our toughest matchup,” said Coach Meyer. “Better teams tend to bring out the best in us, which is great. Hopefully we can rise to the occasion.”
Here are some photos of last night’s game (Photos from Kevin L. Smith/The Cortland Voice):
