A special thank you goes to Visions Federal Credit Union for partnering with us to provide the greater Cortland County community with additional sports coverage
Cortland Girls Basketball Team wins Section III Class B Title. (Photo provided by Timothy A. Bennett, Owner & Publisher of The Cortland Voice).
The Cortland girls basketball varsity squad has nine players on its roster, all of which have been coached by Janice Meyer since their junior varsity days.
All of them had one common goal: to win a Class B sectional title.
On Saturday at the SRC Arena at Onondaga Community College, the goal was achieved as the third-seeded Purple Tigers beat fourth-seeded Westhill, 47-41, to be crowned champions.
“We knew we had to get through the nerves, get through the hype and play our game,” Meyer said. “That’s what we did.”
Cortland Head Coach Janice Meyer. ((Photo provided by Timothy A. Bennett, Owner & Publisher of The Cortland Voice).
The Warriors maintained a 20-16 lead at the half.
In the third quarter, however, Cortland molded a 17-13 run to knot the score at 33 apiece, capped by a buzzer-beating three from junior Kendall Mack.
“We kept showing up every possession just to get back from being behind,” Meyer said.
The Purple Tigers took care of business in the fourth quarter by outscoring Westhill by six points.
Mack, who was crying tears of joy with 10 seconds left in regulation, was overwhelmed with excitement.
“It feels amazing,” Mack said. “We worked so hard and we finally got it.”
Valerosa Gambitta – the most valuable player of the Class B tournament – paced Cortland with 15 points, six boards, three blocks and five steals. She scored 11 of her points in the second half, and was 8-of-10 from the free-throw line.
Valerosa Gambitta. (Photo provided by Timothy A. Bennett, Owner & Publisher of The Cortland Voice).
Gambitta mentioned her father instilled confidence in her as the game went on.
“My dad is always in my corner. He kind of makes sure I know where he is,” Gambitta said. “Whenever I need to get hyped, I just need to look at him. He always knows what to say and it’s really encouraging.”
Mack, an all-tournament selection, chipped in nine points and four steals. Claire Turner, who faced foul trouble in the first three quarters, scored all of her points (8) in the fourth.
Cortland's All-Tourney selections: Valerosa Gambitta (left) and Kendall Mack (right). (Photo provided by Timothy A. Bennett, Owner & Publisher of The Cortland Voice).
“It’s nine girls that bought in at all times,” Meyer said. “I was blessed to have these kids from JV and follow me up. They’ve had my voice, our system and what we believe as a core (group).”
The Purple Tigers, ranked 18th in the state in Class B, will now prepare for Section IV’s Newark Valley in the Class B regional round. The Cardinals, Class C state runner-up last season, are undefeated and ranked second in the state in Class B.
Tip-off between Cortland and Newark Valley is set for 2:45 p.m. Saturday at the SRC Arena.
“The whole next week of practice is going to be hard work. I think we all know that,” Gambitta said. “We knew that for sectionals, but now we have to go even harder if we want to make a run (in states).”
Here are some photos from Cortland's sectional championship win (Photos provided by Timothy A. Bennett, Owner & Publisher of The Cortland Voice):
Here is a video of Cortland's sectional championship win (original videos provided by Timothy A. Bennett, Owner & Publisher of The Cortland Voice):
A special thank you goes to Visions Federal Credit Union for partnering with us to provide the greater Cortland County community with additional sports coverage
