Somers Swishes Another Thrilling Comeback versus Hen Hud

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On Friday, January 30, Somers welcomed Hen Hud to the High School, and Kate Stratton looked like she was going to make it a very long afternoon for her hosts. Four straight jumpers, a 10-3 lead forced adjustment. “We didn’t let her get the ball in the middle,” said Caitlyn Mayfield. But a 38-29 third quarter deficit still left the Tuskers with work to do. So the team as a whole did the heavy lifting.

“Once we start working all five together, shots fall in,” said Ashley Kuchinsky, and from that moment, the girls really did that in their thrilling 56-48 victory.

Trailing off of Stratton’s outburst, Somers stayed close with a Shea Mullins floater and short jumper by Mayfield. Unfortunately, Stratton wasn’t the only shooter in the Sailor’s arsenal. Avery Motko hit from long range, and after Mullins measured up with her second triple, Motko answered to open the second.

19-10, Somers fought back. Eli Contreras sunk a three at 7:03 and then forced her way through heavy traffic for a 21-15 game.

Stratton responded with a layup of her own, but Somers pardoned the interruption. First Kacey McCullough spotted Mullins for an open layup underneath, and Kuchinsky dropped a three at 4:15.

A three point game, Hen Hud took their turn. Passes by Charlotte Gaspar and Carleigh Ortiz found Elyse Smith both times, and the guard made it 27-20 with a pair of layups.

Of course, Somers wasn’t going away. Contreras’ hard drive yielded two from the line, and Emma Flores hit a straight on jumper off the glass to keep containment at 29-24.

No apologies, Flores was more in her element when she ripped the subsequent defensive rebound. “I’ve never seen anyone in section one rebound like that,” boasted Kuchinsky.

A ferociousness that set Mullins up to do her thing from way downtown. “I like to shoot far,” said the freshman.

Far from overconfidence, the strategy is just good vertical sense. “It feels easier especially since being small,” explained Mullins. “It’s not going to be blocked.”

Still, Smith kept Somers at arm’s length. She got to the line for one and closed the half with a layup.

Up five, the Sailors rode the wave into the third. Motko opened with a three, and Smith’s swing across the paint was good for another layup that opened a 38-29 lead.

So the time for togetherness arrived and began with Mullins, Mayfield and Kuchinsky. The point guard got the ball in the middle to Mayfield and she kicked the ball out. Kuchinsky in wait, the two guard had another three at 3:02.

Timeout for Hen Hud, the Sailors didn’t come out with an answer for the Tusker triumvirate. The same order, Kuchinsky made it 38-35 from long range.

Stratton answered with a layup. But the Sailor ship was soon stuck in neutral, and Kuchinsky did the initial shifting. Up above the arc, she spotted an opening and exploded to the hoop to pull within three.

In at 1:01, Mayfield was next. The forward converted both foul shots after coming up with the steal, and the energy didn’t not go unnoticed. “She’s a great hustler,” extolled Mullins. “She’s always helping me and never lets anyone down.”

Onto the fourth, Mullins held her own with a baseline floater, and Mayfield assured the feeling was mutual. “As a freshman, she’s very confident,” said the junior. “I just love her.”

Sorry, Contreras couldn’t help crashing the party. The sophomore pulled down the rebound, scored on a baseline drive, and after Flores grabbed rebounds on both ends, Contreras gave Somers a 46-40 lead from downtown.

Angelina Carbone did answer with two free throws, but one could not beat five. Somers moved the ball around the perimeter and Contreras eventually came open in front of the bleachers.

Bang, Somers lead by seven, and two daggers later, the Sailors were sunk. Kuchinsky and Mullins’ torpedoes, the scoresheet didn’t matter. “Team points, that’s all I care about,” concluded Kuchinsky.

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