Box Score

Game Statistics

Game Summary

NORTH CHILI – The girls basketball game of the year lived up to its billing Thursday night, as top-seeded Penfield beat No. 2 Gates Chili, 63-52, in front of a standing-room-only crowd at Roberts Wesleyan College to win the Section V Class AAA championship.
It was a rematch of last year’s game, which Gates Chili (19-2) won 55-50 on its home floor. Penfield made all six of its free throws in the final 36 seconds to seal the win. The Patriots plays Greece Athena (17-4), a 65-36 winner over Mercy earlier Thursday for the Class AA crown, in Monday’s 7 p.m. state tournament qualifying game back at Roberts.
The game was close throughout, but an 8-0 spurt by Penfield early in the fourth quarter produced a 52-43 lead – the game’s largest – with 5 minutes, 12 seconds remaining. Sophomore forward Margot Hetzke drilled a step-back 3-pointer, which gave her 1,002 career points, and classmate Lucy Covley matched that ‘3,’ in the run.
But the Spartans weren’t done. Junior point guard Kori Bayne-Walker sandwiched two free throws and a pull-up jumper around Shanell Glover’s basket and Penfield led just 52-49 with 3:15 left. Penfield kept attacking, though, something it regretted not doing last year after trying to nurse a seven-point lead headed to the fourth quarter.
Sheila Nesselbush’s layup off a pass from Hetzke and then Nesselbush’s twin sister Michelle made a driving layup with 1:29 left for a 57-49 Penfield lead with 1:29 left. Samantha Heiler’s 3-pointer made it 59-52 with 42 seconds left, but Megan Malloy’s two free throws six second later all but sealed it for the Patriots (21-0), whose only other title came in 2009.
Senior point guard Megan Malloy led Penfield with 16 points, sophomore forward Lucy Covley had 15 and junior Michelle Nesselbush (14) and sophomore Margot Hetzke (14) also hit double figures. Sophomore Cierra Dillard and senior Shanell Glover each had 12 for Gates. 
It was a highly anticipated matchup, not only because Penfield and Gates Chili spent all season occupying the top two spots in the Democrat and Chronicle’s large-school coaches’ poll, but because of last season. Gates Chili won its first sectional title 55-50 by staging a fourth-quarter rally after trailing by 12 at halftime and seven headed into the final eight minutes.
But controversy surrounded the game because the Section V committee voted to keep the game at Gates Chili, where like many sectional title games were scheduled, even though the Spartans made the title game. In 2010 when a young Gates team surprised many by reaching the final, the game was moved from its gymnasium to SUNY Brockport.
Both offenses came out sluggish and had trouble penetrating each other’s active 2-3 zone defense. Gates Chili did a lot of damage on the offensive boards. The Spartans suffered a shaky start, turning it over on four straight trips, and trailed 18-13 early in the second quarter after on a layup by Malloy after a good drive and shovel pass by Sheila Nesselbush.
But with All-Greater Rochester point guard Kori Bayne-Walker struggling not only to hit shots but even get them off, backup guard Samantha Heiler got things rolling for Gates Chili with a 3-pointer. Glover’s putback as she was fouled gave the Spartans the lead 21-20 and they led 24-22 at the break.
Both teams got going offensively midway through the third quarter. Six straight points by Penfield gave it a 33-28 lead on Lucy Covley’s layup. Then Dillard and Malloy traded 3-pointers, riling up the big crowd. Dillard’s fastbreak drive drew a fourth foul with 20 seconds left in the third, but Penfield led 42-39 headed to the fourth period.

All-tournament team: Kori Bayne-Walker (GC), Cierra Dillard (GC), Kara Houppert (Webster Thomas), Heather Hebert (Hilton), Lucy Covley (Penfield), Megan Malloy (Penfield). MVP: Margot Hetzke (Penfield).

Gates-Chili High School Individual Player Statistics

Penfield Central High School Individual Player Statistics