ONEONTA, NY – Hartwick held off a late Elmira charge to take a 61-54 victory over the Soaring Eagles Saturday at Lambros Arena. The result, coupled with a 77-64 St. John Fisher win over Nazareth, secures the fourth and final playoff spot for the defending Empire 8 champion Hawks. They will play the top seed and host Cardinals on Friday, February 28 in the conference semifinals.
The Hawks led the Soaring Eagles by as many as 16 points in the game but the visitors were able to trim the gap to just two points with 4:41 remaining in the final quarter. Hartwick scored the next three baskets and got stops on defense to pick up the much-needed victory.
Giuliana Pritchard (Amsterdam, NY/Amsterdam) led a balanced Hartwick attack with 13 points. She added nine rebounds. Maggie Kirby (Selkirk, NY/Bethlehem) and Mary Schoenherr (Unionville, CT/Farmington) each netted 11.
Following a pre-game ceremony honoring Hartwick seniors Kelsey Collins (Forestburgh, NY/Eldred Central) and Rhiannon Groll (Red Bank, NJ/Boonton), Collins got the Hawks on the scoreboard with a free throw just 14 ticks into the contest. After EC tied the score at five, a layup from Schoenherr gave the Hawks the lead for good at 4:02 of the first quarter. They would end the period on an 8-2 run for a 13-7 lead.
Buckets from Kelly Pine (Hoosick Falls, NY/Hoosick Falls) and Schoenherr followed by an and-one from Maggie Kirby pushed the advantage to 11 points, 20-9, early in the second quarter. The Soaring Eagles cut it to six only to have the Hawks use a 12-2 spurt to grab their biggest lead of the night, 34-18, with under two minutes left in the half. EC scored the final five points to hit the locker room down by a count of 34-23.
The Hawks shot 58% from the field in the half with Maggie Kirby scoring nine and Pritchard adding eight.
Consecutive layups from Collins and Schoenherr made it a 15-point game early in the third quarter and the Hawks led by double-digits for much of the period. Elmira twice managed to cut its deficit to eight but Hartwick took a 48-38 edge into the final quarter.
Three straight baskets to start the fourth and suddenly Elmira was just a possession away from tying the score (48-45). Molly Kirby (Selkirk, NY/Bethlehem) responded with a big three to stop the momentum. The 'Wick lead was seven but Elmira converted on two straight possessions to make it 52-49 at the 5:39 mark. A free throw cut it to two at 4:41 but Schoenherr scored on a layup. After a defensive stop, her offensive rebound and subsequent dish for a Pine layup made it a six-point game. Another offensive board and put-back from Pritchard extended the lead to eight, 58-50.
EC got one back to bring it back to six and the Soaring Eagles had a pair of chances to inch closer but they couldn't convert. Schoenherr pushed the lead to eight with two free throws with 17 seconds left. After an Elmira layup made it a two-possession game, Schoenherr put it away with her free throw with 7.8 seconds to go.
Schoenherr finished the night with six rebounds, a game-high five assists, and a steal. Molly Kirby had nine points, Taylor Kurs (Rego Park, NY/Archbishop Molly) chipped in eight, and Pine scored four and she grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds.
The Hawks made 44.4% (24-for-54) as a group. They dominated on the glass, 42-31. The 42 boards included 11 on the offensive end, which they turned into 10 second-chance points. They held the Soaring Eagles to only 39% on the night.
Collins ended the night with three points, four rebounds, and a steal in her final game in Lambros. Groll picked up two steals and two rebounds.
The Hawks now travel to St. John Fisher for the semis on Friday. They play in the night's first semifinal at 5:30 p.m. followed by #2 Sage versus #3 Utica at 7:30 in the nightcap. The championship game is slated for Saturday at 4 p.m.
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