Hilton heroics: Cadets beat Averill Park on OT buzzer-beater to reach first state final

TROY — Two of New York state’s top teams delivered an instant classic on Friday night. Thanks to Elena Graziano’s heroics, it's Hilton moving on to the state championship.

Graziano splashed a 3-pointer off a pass from teammate Mallory Heise to beat the overtime buzzer and undefeated Averill Park, 73-71, in the NYSPHSAA Class AA semifinal.

Hilton trailed by as many as five in the fourth quarter, but Heise secured a basket with about 15 seconds remaining for 63-all tie and OT.

The two Goliaths combined for 18 points in the four-minute overtime, but Hilton had the last word.

“Probably one of the greatest basketball games I’ve ever been a part of, if not No. 1 going back in my lifetime,” Cadets coach Dave Heise said. “Just unbelievable.”

Hilton will take on Section I's Albertus Magnus for Class AA supremacy on Saturday night. The Falcons are playing in their first state title game since 2009 and fourth overall, after an 89-51 blowout win over East Meadow in Friday's other semifinal.

It's a quick turnaround for the Cadets, who sprinted through 4 1/2 quarters and flirted with elimination against Averill Park. Despite that, Mallory Heise believes Hilton has plenty of gas left in the tank to put a bow on its unprecedented season.

"Darn right, we do," she said.

Graziano’s huge second half boosts Cadets to new heights

Consider Hilton’s hero among those who believe in superstition. The junior guard, who was the Cadets’ first player off the bench this season, said she didn’t make a single shot in warm-ups.

That cold streak extended into the first half, as she missed her only field goal attempt.

In the second half, Graziano caught fire. She knocked down all four of her 3-point attempts, none more pivotal than the last.

“You know what they say, if you miss every one in warm-ups you make every one in the game. And I definitely did not make any in warm-ups,” Graziano said. “It worked out OK.”

Friday’s finale nearly sang a different tune. Moments before her winning shot, Graziano fumbled the ball to a collection of Warriors players on Hilton's would-be last possession.

Fortunately for the Cadets, Averill Park returned the favor only seconds later on an errant pass near mid-court, which reverted possession back to Hilton for an inbounds play in front of its own bench.

Heise worked open to receive the pass, but Averill Park predictably swarmed the Cadets’ leading scorer as she crashed through the lane. Instead of forcing an off-balance shot, Heise flipped a pass out to Graziano for the winning basket.

“The fact that the best point guard in the state trusts me and kicked it to me, that gives me a lot of confidence that my teammates trust me to shoot it,” Graziano said. “They also give me confidence to miss it, and that means it’s OK if I miss. It’s a 50-50 play.”

The pass that saved the season

Heise opened the game 6-for-6 from the field and scored Hilton’s first eight points of the game. She also knocked down the Cadets’ final shot of regulation. Her 27 points were a team-high.

Demanding the final shot of overtime would've been a warranted request. In this instance though, Heise's unselfishness prevailed in the game's biggest sequence.

Hilton’s coaching staff predicted Averill Park would try to double-team Heise and warned the team’s other four on the floor to spot up for a potential clean look. As anticipated, Graziano was left open in the corner as the Warriors’ back side defender collapsed toward Heise’s drive.

Even while crashing to the floor, Heise delivered a pass on the money.

“She’s just a pure basketball player who made the perfect read in that moment,” coach Heise said. “A lot of girls would’ve tried to force something up with their ego and tried to play hero ball. She was heroic enough to kick it to another hero, and that’s just amazing.”

Defense locks down to end fourth quarter

Seventy-one points allowed and a 50% shooting percentage against, at first glance, suggests an uneven showing for Hilton’s lofty defensive standards.

While it wasn’t always smooth sailing — Hilton had particular trouble with Warriors’ forward Taylor Holohan, who finished with a game-high 31 points — the final seconds of regulation, with the score tied at 63, painted a pretty picture.

With the season hanging in the balance, 15 seconds can feel like a lifetime. That’s how much clock remained when Averill Park inbounded the ball for the potential winning shot.

Holohan was of chief concern. Unable to find an opening down low with Cadets forward Ella Clark in her kitchen, Holohan drifted up top, received the pass and began her charge toward the basket.

After Clark and Graziano missed their swipes at the ball, Holohan was greeted at the rim by Leah Thompson and Heise who forced the late miss to extend the game.

“There was one kid who wanted the ball in the final quarter and overtime, and it was (Holahan). We just collapsed on her,” coach Heise said. “(Arianna Verardi) is very quick, so we had to make sure we contained her. And Maddie Murphy did a great job on (Kayleigh Ahern) who is their knock-down shooter.”

Hilton induced 14 turnovers by game’s end, including a pair of steals from Clark that resulted in fastbreak layups.

Quotable

By the numbers

7 — The biggest score differential of the game, held by Hilton in multiple instances in the third quarter. The Cadets converted their first four shot attempts and four straight free throws to begin the second half.

28 — The amount of girls basketball state titles for Section V. Hilton can add to that total on Saturday.

66% — Ella Clark’s field goal percentage. Hilton’s senior averaged 13.4 points per game through the Section V semifinals, but was held to single digits in her last two outings. Clark bounced back with 16 against Averill Park, the second-most among Hilton players.

This article originally appeared on MPNnow: Hilton beats Averill Park on OT buzzer-beater in NYS girls semifinals