A TOTAL TEAM EFFORT: No. 2 Fillmore puts pieces of puzzle together vs. No. 3 Finney, survive defensive battle to punch ticket to Class D Finals with 48-36 win; will meet No. 1 Elba for title Saturday
MOUNT MORRIS — No matter what the end result was going to ring the truest when the book turns its final page towards the epilogue for this year’s campaign on the hardwood, one thing will remain a constant — the Fillmore Lady Eagles are assembling one season to remember.
In the midst of it all, holding the identification as a team that has exceeded expectations wasn’t quite the mantra that the Lady Eagles, nor head coach Tom Parks, really wanted to undertake when they first came together prior to the season’s commencement. Instead, he submitted a request to his team.
It was one of straightforwardness: Go for it all.
“We talked about it, and they've heard this a lot,” Parks said. “In our first meeting, we said whatever we do this season, people will say that we out-performed expectations. We didn't want to take on that mantra. These opportunities don't come around a lot and we said that we had to go for it. I don't know if it was realistic at the time or not, but that was our mentality. To say I knew we were going to play for a title coming into this year, that's not true. But if you would have asked me a week ago if this team would, I definitely can say with confidence that they can. It just shows the incredible growth of this team.”
As a team absolutely filled with young guns, the Lady Eagles have experienced it all this year. The highs, the lows, many courageous battles, some requiring a vast amount of mental fortitude. Through every single shred of adversity that was faced head on from the beginning of December all the way up to the start of Tuesday night in Mount Morris, Fillmore overcame it all.
Now, they were a single victory away from reaching the big dance at Finger Lakes Community College.
The Lady Eagles knew what it was going to take — A complete team effort across the board, and against a team like No. 3 C.G. Finney, who is as fierce and energetic as they come, they needed every bit of it.
For most of the night in their Class D Semifinal contest, the two teams locked horns. They gave everything they possibly had to hold one another at bay on their respective defensive ends. One of the main focuses for the Lady Eagles was matching the energy that the Lady Falcons were yielding. It was a must, no matter how hard the challenge was.
They had to keep fighting. And fighting.
“Beyond the X's and O's, that message was 100% what we preached at practice,” Parks said. “We had to have the same energy and we had to beat their energy. We're undersized out there. We can talk about the experience all we want, but we had to be better all night long. We talked about it not yielding in more points than them in certain spots, but the girls just do not quit. They keep fighting and fighting.”
Across all four quarters between the Lady Falcons and Lady Eagles, no degree of separation eclipsed more than four points. But the victories that were constructed after each quarter began to pile up. After all of the nonstop work fending off their opposition, the Lady Eagles found an opening to exploit.
It came in the last eight minutes. The grand finale.
With Fillmore facing foul trouble down the stretch, it was next-Lady Eagle up. Enter Tenlee Miller and Morghyn Ross, as the two Fillmore shooters stepped into the fray to make an immediate impact on both ends of the floor, with Miller jump-starting the team’s outstanding fourth quarter on the attack while Ross helped control the boards behind some strong defense. As a result, the Lady Eagles came together to remain one step ahead of the Lady Falcons all the way to the end to secure their trip to the Class D Finals this weekend with a 48-36 victory.
“I am so proud of the girls and how much they have accomplished through all this adversity. It's 100% them,” said Parks. “Basketball is a tough sport played by tough people. I've mentioned that to them so many times, and it's a long grind. They fight through it, and they battle when they don't want to. They get all the credit in the world, and part of the reason behind it is I have the best co-coach anywhere around. To have someone of Alicia's (Mucher) IQ and mentality, that's a major reason why we're here. The plays, the energy, saying things that I don't always say, getting the girls around. It's a total team effort.”
It was truly a defensive war all the way to the bitter end, as the offense battled in back-and-forth fashion through a first quarter that saw Fillmore (21-1) wedge their way out in front off the first of six incredible three-pointers from the hand of Emalyn Mucher. Although the Lady Falcons responded by jumping back out on top, it was only for a brief moment, as the Lady Eagles rebounded to finish the quarter on a banked three from Tenlee Miller and one shot from the line by Mylee Miller.
The second quarter was quiet through a vast majority of play between the two squads, but as time passed, the No. 2 seeds found a rhythm with some breathing room, as they knocked down a pair of threes from Mucher and Morghyn Ross to build a whole head of steam going into the locker room with a 22-16 lead on the Lady Falcons.
When the second half arrived, the intensity brought on from each side was matched evenly, with C.G. Finney and Fillmore continuing to hold one another in check with just a single basket through the first five minutes of the stanza. The defensive battle raged on with ease, but the lead for the Lady Eagles remained intact going into the last eight minutes.
A final eight minute sequence of utmost importance.
With both Mucher and Mattie McCumiskey facing four fouls each going down the homestretch, the Lady Eagles needed to find a way to keep the momentum rolling.
It kick-started with a pair of hard drives to the rim from Tenlee Miller to push their lead into double-digit territory for the first time in the game, where it would ultimately remain, as Mucher stepped back up off the bench and provided to incredible daggers from downtown — the latter of the pair off some absolutely insane wizardry, passing the ball all around the arc inside and out to drive C.G. Finney off-balance on defense.
The sequence left Mucher wide open at the top of the key for her sixth and final thunderous triple, officially helping seal the deal on their trip to the Finals this weekend.
As for those last eight minutes? Parks said it was something they’re used to, but at the same time, something to behold when everyone manages to get involved.
“Funny enough, we've done it a lot this season. It's a compliment to what these kids can do. We've been in these positions and we've talked about not being a front-runner, not being able to play at our best when we're ahead and what are we going to do when we hit foul trouble. What are we going to do when those players are on the bench,” he said. “They're used to it, and it's different girls stepping up all the time. It doesn't have to be them to carry the whole load. That spurt Tenny went on in the fourth, Morghyn handling the ball, it's a next-girl up mentality. They buy into it and play together.”
Mucher wound up leading Fillmore across the board in the scoring department, registering a game-high 26 points behind her epic three-point presence. Morghyn Ross chipped in with 12 points of her own. Tenlee Miller finished with seven points.
Up next, Fillmore heads back to the Class D Finals beginning Saturday morning in Canandaigua, as they prepare to square off with top-seeded Elba for all the marbles in an 11 a.m. tip-off at Finger Lakes Community College. Elba defeated No. 4 Notre Dame-Batavia, 52-36 in the nightcap, right after the Lady Eagles scored their victory.
“We know what we're up against,” said Parks. “The Genesee Region League is always tough, and Notre Dame-Batavia and Elba are two prime examples of that. We played both teams in Sectionals a time or two before and we know what they're all about. We're just excited for that challenge, to be playing in the Finals. We were able to finally get back here. One game to win it all? Sign me up for it.”
C.G. Finney 10 6 7 13 — 36
Fillmore 12 10 9 17 — 48
FINNEY: Lainey Vargas 3 0-0 7, Kate Frederickson 1 0-0 3, Lucy Broome 3 4-7 10, Sydnei Davis 1 0-2 2, Kiley Knittle 1 1-2 3, Allie Frederickson 5 1-1 11. Totals: 14 6-12 36.
FILLMORE: Mylee Miller 0 1-2 1, Tenlee Miller 3 0-0 7, Morghyn Ross 5 0-0 12, Emalyn Mucher 8 4-6 26, Mattie McCumiskey 0 2-2 2. Totals: 15 7-10 48.
3-point goals: Finney 2 (Vargas, K. Frederickson), Fillmore 9 (Mucher 6, Ross 2, T. Miller).
Total Fouls: Finney 17, Fillmore 13. Fouled out: None.
