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Albany High girls' basketball season ends in section final
 One
step closer, and one step still to go.
That's the work that the Albany High School girls' basketball team will
have in front of it next winter after a stellar 2011-12 season ended one
win short of the Section II title.
The Lady Falcons (19-2) won the Big 10 championship for the second year
in a row and advanced to the Class AA final before losing to Colonie
64-55 at Hudson Valley Community College on March 3. The Lady Falcons'
playoff run included a semifinal win over perennial power Shenendehowa,
a victory that sealed the team's place as a true contender in Section II
and one of the state's top teams.
With nearly all of its top players returning in 2012-13, including
junior Emia Willingham-Hurst and sophomore Breahanda Stratton (pictured,
R-L), the Lady Falcons will be poised for another run at their
first section title since Albany High won back-to-back championships in
1997-98.
And a chance at the school's first team state title since the girls'
basketball team won it all in 1997.
This year's team was motivated to prove that the 42-point semfinal loss
to Shaker in 2011 was no indication of its ability. Mission
accomplished.
The Lady Falcons climbed as high as No. 14 in the New York State
Sportswriters Association rankings before their only loss of the season.
They entered the playoffs ranked No. 23 among the state's Class AA
schools, knocking off No. 12 Shen before the disappointing loss to No.
19 Colonie (which beat No. 7 Shaker in the semifinals).
After winning the first outright Big 10 title in
school history last year, the Lady Falcons repeated in impressive fashion, winning
their first 10 conference games by an average of almost 26 points before
clinching the title with
a tense 56-55 win at Catholic Central on Feb. 10.
Troy spoiled senior night at Albany High on Feb. 14
in the last regular-season game with a
48-45 upset that ended the Lady Falcons' bid to be the only Capital
Region Class AA team with a
perfect record entering the playoffs. Still, the Lady Falcons rebounded
with a 46-36 quarterfinal win over Bethlehem on Feb. 24, with
Willingham-Hurst's 21 points leading the way.
Then came the return trip to the section semifinals
March 1 at Hudson Valley Community College -- even delayed a day by the
season's first snowstorm -- and a matchup with highly regarded
Shen. After a nervous start that
saw the Lady Falcons trail 19-12 in the second quarter, they rallied
behind Stratton (22 points, 10 rebounds) and Willingham-Hurst (17
points, 10 boards) for
a 52-46 victory.
"We really wanted it and we came out and got it,"
Willingham-Hurst said after the game.
The Lady Falcons started the season by winning the
Oneonta tournament over Thanksgiving break, and then their own Lady
Falcon Tournament in early December.
You can
read more about Willingham-Hurst and the Lady Falcons' early season
sucess in the Dec. 13
Times Union.
They started really turning heads over the holiday
break with
impressive wins over
Corcoran (Syracuse) on Dec. 27 and JFK (Bronx) on Dec. 28 at the
Amsterdam Holiday College Showcase.
"We have a lot of weapons on the team," Stratton
said.
With two of the area's best players in
Willingham-Hurst and Stratton and exceptional depth and size, the Lady
Falcons continually proved that they would be a force to reckon with
in Section II. Haggerty-MacNabb, in her third season, has worked hard to help her
players handle their growing reputation as an emerging power program.
 "We've
been talking about having the 'X' on our back and being able to play
with it," she said. "We're everybody's biggest game."
Haggerty-MacNabb knows that feeling and how to deal
with it from her own experience as a player. As a senior at Bishop
Maginn in 1995-96, her team won the Section II and state public high
school large-school championships before losing its only game of the
year (26-1) in the federation title game. That season was followed by
the pinnacle years for Albany High girls' basketball, including the 1997
state title and consecutive Section II titles 1997 and '98.
This group is trying to restore the program to that
level of prominence, and the long-term future looks bright. Only four of the Lady Falcons' 16 players are seniors, and
the majority of the 10 players in Haggerty-MacNabb's regular rotation
are non-seniors. That includees three sophomores and two freshmen -- and
behind them a JV team that has lost only one game in two years.
"People don't realize how young we are,"
Haggerty-MacNabb said.
Already in her fourth varsity season,
Willingham-Hurst's role as a leader has been the key, Haggerty-MacNabb
said. With so much talent, many players have had to sacrifice playing
time for the good of the team. That never has been an issue, a tribute
to each player's outstanding attitude and commitment as well as
Willingham-Hurst's maturity.
"Her leadership has been unsurpassed,"
Haggerty-MacNabb said. "It's been hands-down the biggest factor in our
success."
Although she was the leading scorer and the player
with the most individual accolades this season, Willingham-Hurst takes
great pride in that role.
"It means a lot to me that people would take my word
and listen to it," she said. "I just try to encourage everyone and tell
them that we need them."
To check out the dates, times and locations for all
of Albany High's teams, visit the Sports
Schedules and Results section.
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