Broadalbin-Perth uses dominant fourth quarter to push past Glens Falls in Class A quarterfinals

ALBANY, N.Y. ( NEWS10 ) — One of the hallmarks of a veteran team is its ability to handle late-game pressure. The Broadalbin-Perth girls basketball team stayed calm, cool and collected despite a fervent third quarter push from Glens Falls in Friday night’s quarterfinal round of the Class A sectional tournament held at Academy of the Holy Names.

The third-seeded Patriots outscored the sixth-seeded Black Bears 16-5 in the fourth quarter to secure a 49-35 win, and subsequently secure a spot in Wednesday’s semifinal round.

Scoring was at a premium at the outset of this matchup. After Glens Falls rattled off five quick points in the opening 90 seconds, just six more were scored by the two teams combined over the final six-and-a-half minutes of the quarter, as the Black Bears maintained a 7-4 advantage.

But the Patriots’ star forward, junior Molly Russom, came to play in the second quarter, scoring 10 points to lead her team to a 22-19 lead by halftime.

And Broadalbin only expanded on its lead out of the locker room, opening the third stanza on an 11-4 run to push the margin to double digits with the score 33-22.

But in the final minute of the quarter, Glens Falls countered with an 8-0 burst that was capped by a buzzer-beating three-pointer from senior Carolyn Lunt. And in the blink of an eye, the Black Bears had drawn to within one possession.

Even with all the momentum on the Glens Falls sideline, Broadalbin-Perth locked down in the final quarter, holding the Black Bears to just one field goal for nearly eight minutes; Glens Falls scored just its second field goal of the quarter with only six seconds remaining, and by then, the result was no longer in question.

Russom led all scorers with 19 points. She was joined in double figures by senior guard Camille Calderone (10 points), who knocked down a huge three-pointer at the 4:49 mark of the fourth quarter that put Broadalbin back up by double-digits, essentially icing the game.

Lunt paced the Glens Falls offense with a team-best 12 points.

Broadalbin-Perth (16-5) will meet up with second-seeded Holy Names in the semifinal round Wednesday at Hudson Valley Community College. Tip-off is set 6:00 p.m.

Glens Falls wraps up its season with a 14-7 overall record.

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