ONTEORA – Sullivan West was on the road last Wednesday, after a winter weather cancellation of their Tuesday night Sections semi-final matchup against the Onteora Eagles. The Eagles made their presence known from the opening tip. Julia Young of Onteora hit two straight three-pointers to open the quarter, followed by Ellie Kothe, on their way to a 9-0 run that ignited the hometown crowd. The Eagles controlled much of the tempo in the opening minutes, but the ‘dogs came roaring back at the start of the second and found their flow offensively. Center Peyton Stevenson and forward Roz Pessante stepped behind the arc to net threes of their own. With starter Ella Herbert out due to an injury, the rest of the Bulldogs’ club were up for the task.

Judging by the intensity of the game it was clear that advancing to the next round was a priority.

As the teams entered the locker rooms at the half, the Eagles held a 19-13 lead, but had led by as much as 10, which left the ‘dogs fighting from behind for much of the game.

The second half served up much of the same physicality in this battle. Sullivan West displayed their typical scrappiness on defense, bringing the game within five as they headed into the final eight minutes of regulation. Onteora sank several key shots down the stretch, staying just ahead of the ‘dogs-enough to clench the 37-33 home win over the Bulldogs and head to the finals.

“We played hard and battled. It really came down to, they made one more play than we did.  We played extremely well defensively.  We were in positions that we needed to be.  We had some big shots when we needed them by Meghan, Sammy, Peyton, and Roz.  We came back twice from being down 10.  It is a true testament to the grit and determination that this team has.  They never ever give up until the final horn goes off.”

On the season, Coach Donovan made it a point to commend his seniors and their leadership. “The seniors we have are a group of young ladies who are not only well respected at Sullivan West, but in the community.  And that is something that I admire most about them.  They are going to move on and do great things when they leave the hallways of Sullivan West. We had some injuries during the season, but the girls adjusted to the circumstances, and we had girls step up into spots when we needed them. As for the future, we will be returning three juniors, Skye Cruz, Kearstin Knapp, and Ella Herbert, and one sophomore, Emily Olsen.  Our JV team was very good this year as well, and we will be bringing some of them up to fill the voids we are losing and have another successful season in 2026-27.”

A final note and word of advice: If you’re ever traveling to Onteora and your GPS tells you to take a shortcut through Sundown and Peekamoose, err on the side of wisdom and take 209!