Penfield beat Ursuline 57-42 in a Slam Dunk Tournament semifinal at the Westchester County Center Dec. 28, 2015.
Ursuline’s Katie McLoughlin drives past Penfield’s Makaila Wilson during their Slam Dunk Tournament semifinal at the Westchester County Center Dec. 28, 2015. Penfield won 57-42.
Ursuline’s Katie McLoughlin drives past Penfield’s Makaila Wilson during their Slam Dunk Tournament semifinal at the Westchester County Center Dec. 28, 2015. Penfield won 57-42.
Ursuline’s Korina Guerra drives on Penfield’s Kristen Baumer during their Slam Dunk Tournament semifinal at the Westchester County Center Dec. 28, 2015. Penfield won 57-42.
WHITE PLAINS – As various members of Penfield’s girls basketball team pulled down one rebound after another at the Westchester County Center on Monday, it gave Ursuline a crash course in the age-old sports adage, “You can’t teach height.”
Penfield beat Ursuline 57-42 in a Slam Dunk Tournament semifinal at the Westchester County Center Dec. 28, 2015.
Penfield, the 15th-ranked Class AA team in the state from suburban Rochester, owned the Koalas in the paint on both ends of the court during its 57-42 win in the semifinals of the 17th annual Slam Dunk Tournament.
“It was a tough game, definitely,” Ursuline junior forward Katie McLoughlin said. “Our opponents were very strong. They’re a big team, so it’s hard to adjust. If we (had) gotten more of a rhythm earlier in the game, it would’ve helped us in the end of the game.”
McLoughlin paced the Koalas with 14 points and six rebounds, shooting 6-of-12 from the field. The rest of the team shot just 11-for-42 in the loss.
Penfield, last year’s Section V runner-up, out-rebounded Ursuline 50-26 in the win, and took all but nine of its 52 shots from the field inside of the arc.
Boston College-bound forward Emma Guy used her 6-foot-3 frame to dominate for 22 points and 13 rebounds for the Patriots. Makaila Wilson, a 5-foot-11 sophomore guard, also recorded a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds.
Ursuline started to find its stride in the fourth quarter, but by then Penfield had built an insurmountable lead.
“If we came out like that every single quarter, it would’ve been a much closer game,” Koalas junior guard Korina Guerra said. “I love playing against good competition — it only makes you better.”
Guerra, who committed to Sacred Heart in November, said that playing a strong opponent at the County Center will serve the team well in its pursuit of returning to “Westchester’s Most Famous Arena” for the Section 1 championships in late-February.
“We’re excited to play here because we expect our team to be back here fighting for the gold ball,” she said. “Playing here, getting everyone comfortable, playing against good competition — it can only help us.”
Penfield will play Peekskill for the Slam Dunk championship Tuesday at 5:15 p.m. Ursuline will play Monroe-Woodbury, the reigning Section 9 Class AA champs, in the consolation at 3:30 p.m.
Twitter: @Zacchio_LoHud, @LoHudGirlsHoops
