By JOHN ADDYMAN
john.addyman@yahoo.com

TROY — A group of Newark girls can now do something few of us will experience.

Fifty years from now, they can say to their granddaughters, “When I was your age, I won a state championship.” And each child’s eyes will light up. “Tell me about it,” they’ll say.

The gold ribbons, the 15-minute cheer, the memories of the final seconds ticking off, all the little things that happened along the way…they’re all locked in now, all part of a memory that will never go away.

Newark won two games over the weekend. Friday night, in the Class A state semifinal, they denied the Floral Park Lady Knights the half-court game they were counting on and won going away, 53-37. Saturday, they won the state title-a first for a Newark girls’ team.

“I could tell in the first three minutes into the game, this is trouble,” said Floral Park coach Greg Mayerhofer. “They’re the best team I’ve seen this year, hands down.”

The Lady Reds outscored the Lady Knights in every quarter.

Shakista Woolfolk got everything moving for Newark in the first period, scoring eight points, blocking three shots and taking down four rebounds as the Reds forced six turnovers and jumped to a 16-11 lead. She scored the last six points of the quarter. The last two baskets were both on steals she made at half-court and converted at the other end of the floor.

Newark built a 12-point lead in the second quarter, as Marissa Bunce got warmed up and scored her fifth point with 2:04 left in the half. The Knights got four points back, then Bunce put an exclamation mark on the half with a three pointer fired from eight feet beyond the arc.

In the third quarter, Alyssa Fenyn picked up six of her 10 points and Newark was up, 42-28. Floral Park, the Section 8 champions from Long Island, got to the foul line early in the fourth quarter and temporarily started to reel Newark back in.

During the game, the Knights were 13-for-14 from the line, and scored seven of those points in the last stanza. Floral Park’s plan was to get the ball down the court and make it a half-court game.

When they did, they were very effective, running a set offense and getting a good number of back-door looks and scores. But Newark coach Diane Kirnie blunted the Floral Park attack by putting pressure on the Knight guards, as they got to midcourt.

“We knew that’s how they wanted to play,” she said. “We had to find a way to pick up the game, to force them into a faster game.”

And when Newark started to run the floor, it was immediately obvious the Knights were not comfortable with the pace. In the third quarter, Kirnie called for a full-court press, and other than trips to the foul line, Floral Park stopped scoring. The Knights had one basket from the field in the last eight minutes.

Woolfolk, who had 14 points, seven rebounds and four blocked shots, said she was pumped up at the beginning of the game. “We wanted to get to the final,” she said. “We didn’t want this to be our last game; everyone wanted it.”

Bunce added 14 points of her own, and Alyssa Fenyn, who ran a clinic on passing to the open girl, scored 10 points. The assists she had for Heather Virts and Woolfok baskets drew gasps from the crowd—they were that good.

Caitlin Klaum and Danielle Donohue scored 10 points and grabbed five rebounds to lead the Knights.

“I thought we did a good job on Fenyn,” said Greg Mayerhofer. “But they were simply the better team—no excuses.”

Rockland County’s Albertus Magnus took on Newark in the title game Saturday night. The prep school has a $9,000 yearly tuition (plus fees) and the ability to attract the best players in that area—and a 100-percent college acceptance rate for graduates. They were the top-ranked team in the state, featuring St. Bonaventure-bound Alaina Walker and 6-4 Theresa Miller.

But the first half was all Newark. Welcome to Section 5 basketball, Falcons. Alyssa Fenyn scored 20 of her 29 points in the first half. Had she not picked up three fouls in four minutes in the second half, she might have scored 50. It was her night.

Shakista Woolfolk had 10 of her 24 points in the first half. All cylinders were oiled and moving freely. The Lady Redsran when they wanted to, broke the Falcon pressure, and stoppered the Albertus Magnus offense.

At halftime the score was 38-22, and Kirnie was warning her girls about second-half surges and the Falcons didn’t get to this game by laying down.

Walker picked up the tempo for Albertus Magnus in the third quarter. Hobbled by a leg injury and waring an elaborate brace on her left shoulder, she still had enough to score nine points in the third quarter. With Fenyn on the bench with four fouls, Walker was going to try to bring the Falcons all the way back herself.

Still, Newark held a good margin as the fourth quarter started, 51-41. From then on, it was good hard basketball played by two very good teams. Nobody blinked. Walker got Albertus Magnus to within six at 54-58, and Maura Power’s three-pointer made it 59-53 with 3:41 to go. Fenyn scored two from the foul line. Walker countered with a basket.

Marissa Bunce sank two foul shots. Falcon Felicia Dacruz dropped a basket. Fenyn put in two foul shots, and Dacruz did the same: 65- 59, right after Fenyn fouled out.

Sara Tanea sank a foul shot for the Reds, and Walker followed with a basket that made the deficit five points, 66-61. The Falcons would twice get the difference to four points, but no closer. Bunce and Tanea closed the game down at the foul line for the 75-68 win.

“We dug ourselves a hole in that first half,” said Albertus Magnus coach Joe McGuinness. In the end, he said, it was Woolfolk who put the lid on the Falcons. “She made some big shots. We made a mistake leaving her alone in the open floor.”

Shakista ended the night with 11 rebounds, second only to Walker’s 12 – and Walker had 31 points. Bunce had 12 points, half that on two vital three-pointers. Dacruz ended the night with 17 for Albertus Magnus.

Kirnie said even when Fenyn came out of the game, she knew her kids had all kinds of confidence to seal the deal. “There was a worry in my stomach the kids couldn’t see,” Kirnie admitted. “It was in a knot.” But her girls came through. “They were not going to be denied,” she said.

Fenyn, who was named most valuable player, admitted Saturday was a special night. “This is the most amazing feeling,” she said.

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