BUFFALO — It wasn’t in the cards.
It was a difficult fight until the end for Starpoint, but a few missed shots and foul trouble in the fourth quarter proved to be fatal.
Aquinas went on a crucial 11-2 run during the final quarter, and the Spartans lost, 59-50, in the Class AA Far West Regional.
“I thought my girls played really hard, and I’m really proud of the way that they played,” head coach Megan Reed said. “They played as a team. They never gave up, and like I’ve said in past interviews, our relentless ability just to play defense and put it all out there is overwhelming. It’s a very respectable quality to have.”
The Li’l Irish advance to the state semifinals, held in Albany this season, for the second year in a row.
Alli Milleville hit two timely 3-pointers for the Spartans while Sophia Waszilewski netted a layup to tie the game at 15-apiece after the first quarter.
Caitlin Deney, who finished the game with 10 points, with back-to-back buckets to start the second quarter for Starpoint.
Both Megan and Alli Milleville, and Ashlyn Lee, netted buckets while Nat Prezioso closed out the half with a layup to lead 28-23 over Aquinas.
The Spartans held the Li’l Irish to eight points in the second quarter.
Starpoint led for a majority of the quarter, until Aquinas’ Molly O’Toole hit a 3 and a layup to close it out. Aquinas’ outscored Starpoint 18-9 in the third, and continued to build on that momentum.
“I think Aquinas played a great game. They’re very good defensively. They got in the passing lane, they deflected the ball, they turned us over,” Reed said. “And they’re the same style of team that we are, so it was one against the other, in my opinion, and they came out on top tonight.”
The Spartans trailed 41-37 heading into the final quarter despite leading by 10 when there was 5:56 left in the quarter.
Megan Milleville, who finished the game with 10 points, tied the game at 41 after a pair from the charity stripe and then Aquinas’ Ajaya Orr nailed a jumper to the game at 43 and sparked an 11-2 run in the last four minutes.
Orr finished the game with 16 points.
Starpoint had good looks, but the shots didn’t go their way in the fourth. There were two buckets that bounced out of the hoop.
“It’s one of those things, you get a couple of bad bounces, or a couple of good layups, and it rolls your way,” Reed said.
The Spartans fouled a few times in the fourth, giving Li’l Irish’s Molly O’Toole five points from the line in the final quarter alone. She led all scorers with 22 points and three 3-pointers.
Aquinas’ Carlee Thomas netted two free throws with 22 seconds left to take a nine-point advantage and defeat Starpoint, 59-50.
Although the score might not show it, the Spartans never let up in the game and continued to communicate and work together throughout the matches’ entirety.
“I’m proud of every single girl’s effort, whether they made a shot or not,” Reed said. “They did something that contributed to our team.”
It also marks the last game with powerhouses Sophia Waliszewski, Deney, Madelyn Schmidt and the Milleville cousins.
All of the seniors have played varsity since their freshman season, except Alli Milleville, who came up as a sophomore.
“This team is heavily united. They’re a very unique and special team and they work really well together,” Reed said. “It’s going to be a big loss for Starpoint basketball coming up.”
Starpoint finished the season 18-7.