Albany Academy dismantles Averill Park to reach a fourth straight sectional final

TROY - For a program predicated on its defensive prowess as its foundation piece, what unfolded for the Averill Park girls' basketball team Wednesday evening had to be downright unnerving. Albany Academy completely shredded the Golden Knights' man-to-man defense, getting any shot it wanted and connecting at a highly proficient rate.

But despite how outstanding the Bears were offensively, senior captain Alex Leonard pointed to another aspect of the performances she valued even more.

"Honestly, I'm thrilled with the defense," Leonard said. "I have said it in other interviews this season. Our main goal is defense."

Albany Academy limited the Golden Knights to 13 field goals overall and cruised to an easy 86-40 Class A semifinal victory at Hudson Valley Community College.

Albany Academy (20-2) shot an incredible 68.6% (35-for-51) from the field. The least prolific quarter of the game for the Bears proved to be the second stanza when they made 11 of 16 attempts. Albany Academy closed out the game by making 8 of 11 shots. The Bears now seek a fourth straight sectional title Saturday when they take on Colonial Council rival Holy Names (17-6) in the last of seven games scheduled at HVCC.

"We have been talking about discipline and confidence - confidence shooting the ball and discipline on defense," Albany Academy coach Jerry Vien said. 

Averill Park (10-13) entered the game with a glossy 52-4 sectional record since winning the first of 15 titles back in 2006. The perennial power, however, proved to be no match for Albany Academy on Wednesday. The top-seeded Bears led 22-10 after one quarter and then blitzed the Golden Knights in the second quarter to establish a commanding 48-16 halftime cushion.

"It was huge to jump out like that. We didn't expect to shoot over 50%, but we wanted to make sure we were strong on defense," said Leonard, who led four Albany Academy players in double digits with 19 points.

The Bears' first-half performance nearly matched their overall point production for the game, as they defeated Averill Park 53-30 on Dec. 20. 

The Golden Knights went almost the entire second quarter without making a basket, but Anna Cronin drained a 3-pointer with 16 seconds left before intermission.

Nayla Macon finished with 14 points, while Morgan Vien and Mady Leonard each tallied 12 points for Albany Academy. The Bears knocked down nine 3-pointers compared to none by Averill Park.

"We were switching on our man defense and we didn't want to get any clean looks," Vien said.

Senior forward Aubrey Wilson scored eight points to lead Averill Park. The Golden Knights knocked down 6 of 13 shots in the final quarter to finish the game shooting 30.1% overall, making 13 of 42 attempts. 

Wednesday's loss marked the second straight year Averill Park failed to advance to a sectional final after winning 10 in a row from 2014 through 2024.

This article originally published at Albany Academy dismantles Averill Park to reach a fourth straight sectional final.