Northville storms back to punch ticket to Class D state final

TROY, NY ( NEWS10 ) — The Northville girls basketball team looked to punch their ticket to the Class D state title game on Saturday at Hudson Valley Community College. They would need to get through Section V’s Elba in the state semifinal.

Northville led 13-10 after 1, but the Lancers outscored them 12-5 in the second quarter to take a 22-18 lead into the half. Northville still trailed by four entering the fourth quarter.

After scoring just 29 points through three quarters, the Northville offense exploded in the final stanza thanks to Hailey Monroe. She poured in 14 of her 24 points in the fourth quarter to carry the Falcons to a 42-34 win, punching their ticket to the Class D title game. “My teammates were building me up the entire time,” said Monroe. “I got in my own head pretty bad, but having a team like that, it’s pretty amazing. They don’t care if you miss. They care if you keep playing. That really helped”

Lilly Klippel helped keep the Falcons alive throughout the game, pulling in 17 rebounds and adding 13 points. “They’re a really determined bunch of young ladies,” said head coach Jim Zullo. “They really are. They amaze me. They never quit and they keep their heads in the game, and sooner or later they know they’re going to a get a run. They know our defense is going to wear the other team down sooner or later, and it did.”

Northville will battle Hammond for the Class D title Sunday at 11:45 AM at HVCC.

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