ALBANY - The Juda girls basketball team took Albany, and then the court, by storm Thursday.
The Panthers' 48-39 win over their Six Rivers East rival showed just how far the program has come in a couple of years. The come-from-behind victory in the Division 4 regional semifinal was the team's biggest win in years.
"It's amazing to see how far this program has come. Two years ago we won just two games, and now we are playing for a regional title," Panthers head coach Curtis Brown said.
Albany (11-11) took a 14-10 lead after the first quarter, but Juda (12-10) brought the score back to within 22-20 at halftime.
"By being down just two at halftime, we knew we had a good shot at winning," Brown said. "Then, in the second half we went to our bread and butter, and that was passing the ball into the post."
Juda's senior forward Heather Boeke scored 23 points in the game, and took over in the second half. Boeke scored 13 points in the third quarter alone.
"Once (Sydney) Bump picked up her third foul early in the third quarter, it went downhill," Albany head coach Mike Brunhoefer said. "I had to put (Bump) on the bench, but then had no one on the floor that could physically stop them."
The Panthers outscored the Comets 16-8 in the third quarter and 12-9 in the fourth quarter.
"(Heather) played the game of her life tonight. She was on a mission and wanted to win more than anyone I've ever seen," Brown said.
The season ends for Albany, but the future looks bright. The Comets will return all but one player on their roster next season.
"This is a good learning experience for them," Brunhoefer said of his team. "They were in a big game here at the end, and they will remember losing. Hopefully that will motivate them to work harder in the offseason."
The Comets will lose Nicolette Blumer (seven points) to graduation. Brunhoefer was pleased to coach her in his first year at Albany.
"(Blumer) is a great leader who gives 110 percent each time she steps on the court. She is always smiling and is so bubbly, so when she didn't have a smile on her face at the end, you could see how much this meant to her."
Brown will use tonight to prepare his team for Burlington Catholic Central. The two teams will meet Saturday at Clinton.
Albany will only be able to watch from the stands the rest of the year.
"I've been coaching for 28 years and the one thing that always happens is that only one team is happy at the end of the year," Brunhoefer said. "That's the game. But we have our awards ceremonies next week, and by then I think we will feel a lot better about ourselves."
The Panthers' 48-39 win over their Six Rivers East rival showed just how far the program has come in a couple of years. The come-from-behind victory in the Division 4 regional semifinal was the team's biggest win in years.
"It's amazing to see how far this program has come. Two years ago we won just two games, and now we are playing for a regional title," Panthers head coach Curtis Brown said.
Albany (11-11) took a 14-10 lead after the first quarter, but Juda (12-10) brought the score back to within 22-20 at halftime.
"By being down just two at halftime, we knew we had a good shot at winning," Brown said. "Then, in the second half we went to our bread and butter, and that was passing the ball into the post."
Juda's senior forward Heather Boeke scored 23 points in the game, and took over in the second half. Boeke scored 13 points in the third quarter alone.
"Once (Sydney) Bump picked up her third foul early in the third quarter, it went downhill," Albany head coach Mike Brunhoefer said. "I had to put (Bump) on the bench, but then had no one on the floor that could physically stop them."
The Panthers outscored the Comets 16-8 in the third quarter and 12-9 in the fourth quarter.
"(Heather) played the game of her life tonight. She was on a mission and wanted to win more than anyone I've ever seen," Brown said.
The season ends for Albany, but the future looks bright. The Comets will return all but one player on their roster next season.
"This is a good learning experience for them," Brunhoefer said of his team. "They were in a big game here at the end, and they will remember losing. Hopefully that will motivate them to work harder in the offseason."
The Comets will lose Nicolette Blumer (seven points) to graduation. Brunhoefer was pleased to coach her in his first year at Albany.
"(Blumer) is a great leader who gives 110 percent each time she steps on the court. She is always smiling and is so bubbly, so when she didn't have a smile on her face at the end, you could see how much this meant to her."
Brown will use tonight to prepare his team for Burlington Catholic Central. The two teams will meet Saturday at Clinton.
Albany will only be able to watch from the stands the rest of the year.
"I've been coaching for 28 years and the one thing that always happens is that only one team is happy at the end of the year," Brunhoefer said. "That's the game. But we have our awards ceremonies next week, and by then I think we will feel a lot better about ourselves."
