Coop girls get doubleheader wins
Volleyball wins opening playoff game, 3-1; basketball completes division sweep at senior night
(The seniors on this year’s Cooperstown varsity girls basketball team are, from left: Meghan Niles, Dani Seamon, Savannah Kirkby, Hannah Craig and Claire Jensen. Photo by Monica Niles.)
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Cooperstown 50, Westmoreland 37
Senior Dani Seamon had a double double as host Cooperstown celebrated senior night by completing a sweep of the Center State Conference Division II with a win over Westmoreland at Red Bursey Gymnasium on Wednesday, Feb. 8.
The Hawkeyes have won nine-straight games and were 12-0 in division this season. Since an 0-3 start, they have gone 15-2.
Both team started slow Wednesday. Westmoreland did not score for the first five minutes of the game, but the Hawkeyes only scored two baskets in that stretch. The teams were tied after one quarter, 8-8, but Cooperstown led at halftime, 23-14.
The Bulldogs scored the first five points of the second half, but Cooperstown finished the quarter on a 12-4 run.
Seamon had a game-high 18 points as well as 14 rebounds, five steals and four assists. She scored 11 of her team’s 15 fourth-quarter points, including making all four of her free throws down the stretch.
Senior Claire Jensen scored 12 points, had five rebounds and a block, sophomore Brenna Seamon scored eight points, junior Rory Nelen scored seven points, senior Hannah Craig scored four points and senior Savannah Kirkby had eight rebounds for the Hawkeyes.
Maddy Enos scored 13 points to lead Westmoreland (11-7, 8-3).
Cooperstown honored five seniors: Craig, Jensen, Kirkby, Seamon and Meghan Niles.
Both teams await seedings in the Section III Class C tournament, which will be announced Wednesday, Feb. 15.
VOLLEYBALL
Cooperstown 3, Port Byron 1
Senior Braeden Victory had nine kills, senior Sofia Ingalls had six aces and junior Sophia Hotaling had 25 digs as No. 5 seeded Cooperstown beat No. 12 seed Port Byron, 25-11, 25-15, 25-27, 25-18, in the first round of the Section III Class C playoffs Wednesday at Red Bursey.
The Hawkeyes and Panthers were close early, with Cooperstown leading 11-10 in the first set, before closing it out on a 14-1 run. The second set was not close, but the Panthers rallied midway through the third and kept it competitive for most of the final set, too.
Victory also had 17 digs and two aces. Ingalls also had seven digs and a kill. Hotaling also had three assists and four aces.
Senior Ellie Dykstra had five kills and a block, junior Lucy Hayes had two kills, three digs and 13 assists, senior Robyn Kafafian had two kills, 14 digs and 10 assists, junior Violet Gentles had one kill, five digs, six assists and four aces, senior Maralina Furlan had four kills, one block and one ace and junior Riley Green had five kills, four digs and five aces for the Hawkeyes.
Allyson Michalski had seven kills and five aces for Port Byron (4-19).
Cooperstown (16-2) will play a second-round playoff game at No. 4 seed Canastota (17-2) at 6 p.m., Friday, Feb. 10. The Raiders beats Onondaga, 3-1, in their first-round match Wednesday.