Moose fall short in championship game
Sunday's championship game was played the way you'd expect from the two top teams in the conference, close and down to the final minute, but it was the top-seeded College of Saint Joseph's who came out on top, defeating second-seeded University of Maine at Augusta 59-52 to win their second consecutive YSCC Championship.
AUBURN, Maine - AUBURN, Maine - Sunday's championship game was played the way you'd expect from the two top teams in the conference, close and down to the final minute, but it was the top-seeded College of Saint Joseph's who came out on top, defeating second-seeded University of Maine at Augusta 59-52 to win their second consecutive YSCC Championship.
The win gives the Saints (28-1, 13-0 YSCC) an automatic birth in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association's National Championship Tournament in Pennsylvania next month. UMA, who finished the regular season as the third-ranked team in the country, remains a candidate for an at-large bid and await the national selection show on Wednesday afternoon.
The Saints were led by tournament MVP Chontayvia Kennedy (Trumbull, Conn.) who scored 23 points on 8-11 shooting from the field. Teammates Jazsala Laracuente (Dorchester, Mass.) and Arreonte Anderson (San Antonio, Tex.) were also in double-digits with 19 and 11 points, respectively. Anderson netted the double-double with 11 rebounds as well.
Regina Steele (Ellenville, N.Y.) pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds for the Saints and was named YSCC Tournament Outstanding Defensive Player for her efforts. She recorded three steals and a pair of blocks on the day.
The Moose (23-8, 12-1 YSCC) were led by senior Darby Toth (North Port, Fla.), who scored 18 points on 5-11 shooting from the field including a 3-7 performance from behind the arc, while teammate Jamie Plummer (Richmond, Maine) also nailed three triples on the afternoon, on her way to 14 points and 10 rebounds. Morgan Card (Ellsworth, Maine) also turned in a double-double performance with 11 points and 11 rebounds and was named YSCC Tournament Outstanding Offensive Player.
The Moose trailed for much of the game but pulled to within four points on a Card layup with 4:24 remaining in regulation, but CSJ answered quickly with back to back buckets from Kelly Festa (Poultry, Vt.) and Kennedy to extend the lead back to eight points.
The Saints carried the slight edge in rebounds, 39-31 and also netted an impressive 32 points in the paint to 14 for the Moose. Saint Joseph's shot 38.2% from the field to 30.4% from the floor for UMA.