John Jay's Season Comes to an End at Clarkstown South

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John Jay’s defeat of Lakeland on the last game of the regular season closed the Wolves out with a .500 record and earned an 11 seed in the first round of the sectionals. Clarkstown South on the other side, a three point second quarter lead looked like the girls might bust the bracket early. But unfortunately the sixth seed pulled even and eventually held their end up.

The Vikings went on a 9-0 run to gain a 21-15 lead, and John Jay could not keep up in the 68-46 victory.

Of course, John Jay began with the Wolves two lead alphas. After Izzy Rodrigo opened the game with a layup, Jane Brennan went around a Natalie Ellrodt pick at half court and reached the rack to tie the game. Not going anywhere, Brennan deflected the ball on the way up court, Sela Halaifonua skied for the rock and tipped back to Brennen. All alone, the senior had the layup, and Jay led 4-2.

A minute in, the teams proceeded to trade turnovers until Clarkstown gave the gym its first look at the home team’s long range plan. Waiting alone at the arc as the ball came up, Carly Roche received and buried a triple to put the Vikings up by one.

So back and forth it was. Helena Schembri put back an Halaifonua miss, Magnolia Acosta spotted Grace Olivieri ahead for a layup, and Schembri turned a loose ball in the paint into a short jumper by Halaifonua.

8-7, Brennan and Halaifonua briefly broke the string by squaring up some give and go. Brennan went to the ground for the defensive rebound and shoveled to Halaifonua. She brought the ball up court, while Brennan did more than trail the play. Receiving back, Brennan immediately led Halaifonua with a perfect bounce pass, and the conventional three point went down at 2:23.

A big fist bump by Brennan to go with the execution, John Jay led by four. But Clarkstown clenched, and showed they knew what to do in the passing lanes too. From the corner, Olivieri rifled to Sawyer Rodrigo in the paint, and she caught Carly Voce on the cut to close the quarter scoring at 11-9.

Onto the second, Brennan took a break from Halaifonua, and Ellrodt stepped in. Two times, she anticipated Halaifonua’s movement without the ball and a pair of layups made it 15-12.

But synergy was not enough. After hitting two layups, Acosta picked Brennan’s pocket for a solo fast break, and nine straight points had John Jay calling for time.

At 4:35, Jay returned and the Wolves initially kept pace. Charlotte Omin muscled a put back, and Brennan sailed a perfect pass into the paint for a 23-19 game at 2:37.

Halaifonua the recipient of course, the basket was the last piece of important music these two maestros would play together. After Voce scored one from the line, Roche rained a three, and another steal by Acosta gave Clarkstown a 29-19 with 90 seconds left in the half.

Even so, Halaifonua would counter with a coast to coast basket, and Gianni Pelosi added a short jumper for a eight point deficit at the half. A good look, the implications were already pointing back to Cross River.

Clarkstown didn’t wait long to app up the Jay GPS either. Roche and Olivieri dropped consecutive triples at the outset, and Clarkstown led 37-23.

The precision hurt even more after Ellrodt’s three brought the game back into range at 37-27. Olivieri let fly in response and sent a crushing blow from downtown.

Still, John Jay refused to relent. Jaime Bartley-Cohen scored on Jordan Kauftheil’s steal, Brennen finished her own drive with a put back, and a nine point game was next on another Bartley-Cohen layup.

The feisty center then forced a Clarkstown travel and the Wolves possibly had Viking scent in their sights. But the offense couldn't capitalize, and the nine point lead held up after three.

The fourth period, and the nine point status quo stuck with some more Halaifonua. Unfortunately, the time eventually came for some serious three ball by the Vikings. Roche, Olivieri and Acosta all hit from downtown, and essentially put the game out of reach with a 60-40 lead.

The Wolves kept playing their game nonetheless, and unsurprisingly, the seniors led by example. In the final moment, Bartley-Cohen ran down yet another tough rebound that led to a basket, and Brennan and Halaifonua worked their magic one last time. Successfully running the break, the duo put a bow on their basketball careers, and did their part in laying the groundwork for all the young players on the John Jay rise.