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. (Photo provided by Timothy A. Bennett, Owner & Publisher of The Cortland Voice).
After obtaining a first round bye, the No.2 seeded Cortland Lady Tigers dominated in the quarterfinal round of the Section III Class A tournament against Mexico.
Cortland won at home with a score of 68-26 Friday evening.
“I thought we did great,” said Cortland head coach Janice Meyer. “We executed really well on both ends of the floor. We played like we had something to lose. We didn’t treat them like a team that we beat two times. We treated them like a new opponent.”
The Lady Tigers got off to a strong start, as they scored 39 points in the first half, while holding Mexico to a mere 10 points.
All of Mexico’s 10 first half points were scored in the first quarter, as Cortland’s defense did not allow a single point in the second quarter. Cortland went on to extend their lead in the second half to close out the game.
One of Cortland’s key players this game was junior Lily Yang, who scored a total of 17 points in the game. 15 of Yang's 17 points were scored off five 3-pointers in the opening quarter.
Cortland junior Lily Yang.
“The last time we played them, we didn’t shoot great; so they (Mexico) knew to pack the paint,” said Yang. “I was just standing on the arc all alone, and my teammates told me to shoot it; so I did. They (the shots) didn’t come out, so I kept shooting. This past week, we’ve been working really hard and it definitely showed today.”
“Lily Yang did great tonight,” stated coach Meyer. “She settled in and put it in. Shooters have to be ready in a 2-3 zone.”
“She (Lily Yang) played so amazing,” added Cortland senior Valerosa Gambitta. “Every time she shot it, our whole team had confidence. We didn’t worry about it (the shot) coming out, and we ran back on D (defense). She (Yang) was just on. It was like theater.”
Cortland senior Valerosa Gambitta.
Cortland was led in scoring by Valerosa Gambitta (19 points), Lily Yang (17 points), Kendall Mack (7 points).
Mexico was led by Allie Poissant (7 points), Adriana DiManto (7 points), Ella Blunt (6 points), Kacee Killam (2 points), Caprice Cuituli (2 points), and Olivia DeStevens (2 points).
Here is a score breakdown of the game:
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final |
| Cortland | 19 | 20 | 12 | 16 | 68 |
| Mexico | 10 | 0 | 5 | 11 | 26 |
This was Cortland’s last home game of the season, as they will be playing the rest of the sectional tournament in neutral field.
According to coach Meyer, Cortland will play next in the sectional semifinals against No.6 seed Jamesville-Dewitt on Tuesday (February 27th) at Phoenix high school at 5pm. (Note: the starting time of the game is subject to change).
Here are some photos from Friday night’s game (Photo 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
