Schalmont storms back to upend top-10 Ichabod Crane

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — A pair of state-ranked Section II, Class B girls basketball teams squared off in Schenectady Friday night. No. 9 Ichabod Crane rolled into Schalmont High School boasting an impressive, 8-1 record. But it was the 16th-ranked Sabres using a second-half comeback to top the Riders 53-48 behind a 31-point effort from junior forward Karissa Antoine.

Ichabod Crane was in control for much of the game. Sophomore guard Carolina Williams scored two of her team-high 24 points on a fast break with less than a minute to play in the first half, giving the Riders a 28-18 edge heading into the locker room. That lead quickly evaporated, though, in the third quarter. Schalmont went on a 12-2 run to tie the game up at 30 at the 4:03 mark; the run was capped off by a breakaway layup from freshman Arianna Brandon.

The two sides went back and forth from there, and were tied at 38 with just over five minutes remaining in the final stanza. But Antoine changed that when she spun out of a double team, and stuck a jumper in the lane to put her team ahead 40-38, and the Sabres never looked back. Antoine would go on to score Schalmont’s next 13 points, as she reached the 30-point plateau, and secured the Sabres the 53-48 victory.

Schalmont (6-4) is now riding a five-game win streak after starting the season 1-4. It’s a quick turnaround for Jeff Van Hoesen’s squad; they hit the road for a Saturday afternoon tilt with Niskayuna at 3:00 p.m. Ichabod Crane (8-2) faces another game away from home Tuesday when it takes on Cohoes.