Schroeder survives 'intense environment' to move on to state championship

TROY - They led for all 32 minutes of the game, but it felt like 132 minutes.

That’s how intense the defensive pressure was from the Baldwin press, but the Webster Schroeder girls handled it like seasoned pros and withstood a superb rally for a 49-39 in Friday’s Class AA state semifinal at Hudson Valley Community College.

Indeed, the athleticism and heat brought by the Bruins was nothing like anything the Warriors had seen this season. But they relied on keen ballhandling and court awareness to handle it.

“Their defense was intense,” Schroeder sophomore Addison Morgan said. “They didn’t give us any easy looks and we had to work for every shot.”

It was a 9-5 lead for Schroeder at the end of the first quarter and Baldwin opened the second with a pair of baskets to tie the game, 9-9. But that’s when Schroeder got its perimeter game fired up and Addison’s 3-pointer was the first of five in the second quarter.

“They come naturally,” Morgan said of the 3-pointers. “We like the kickouts.”

That helped open a 27-15 halftime lead, but it didn’t last long. Continued pressure by Baldwin forced Schroeder mistakes and the Bruins cashed in with an 11-2 run to make it a 32-29 game.

It got even closer in the fourth after a Monique Echols 3-pointer cut Schroeder’s lead to 39-37. But then the Warriors responded with a 7-0 run that took the game into the final minute and essentially sealed Schroeder’s berth in Saturday’s championship.

What it means

Schroeder (24-1) will play in Saturday’s 8:45 p.m. championship against the winner of the other semifinal between Liverpool and White Plains.

Baldwin of Section VIII ends its season with a 22-3 record.

Key stretch

The Echols 3-pointer didn’t exactly shake Schroeder, but it had the Warriors thinking. They knew what the Bruins were capable of, and found out for real with the second-half surge that threatened the lead.

So when Mariah Watkins grabbed a rebound off a Schroeder miss for the putback to start the decisive 7-0 run late in the fourth, and Bria Watkins followed with another putback after a Baldwin miss, the Warriors made it clear about the momentum.

Another Baldwin miss led to a Mariah Watkins baseline drive and when Bria Watkins made one of two free throws with 30 seconds left, the 46-37 Schroeder lead left no doubt.

“It was an intense environment,” said Bria Watkins. “But I was raised to ignore the noise and fight through it.”

The offensive struggles were real, however, and while the Warriors said they didn’t panic, they did understand the severity of the situation.

“It was more of a mental thing,” said Bria Watkins. “We just had to collect ourselves and let each other know we’re OK.”

It was the press of Baldwin that gave the Warriors so many fits but coach Codi Mrozek knew her team could handle it. They’d already proven it.

“We handled it in the first half,” she said. “We just had to stay the course.”

By the numbers

▶ Mariah Watkins led Schroeder with 21 point and 11 rebounds, 9 of them defensive.

▶ Morgan added 10 points and Bria Watkins scored 7.

▶ Baldwin had 6 steals to 2 for Schroeder.

▶ Payton Dulin led Baldwin with 15 points and Toni Smith scored 11.

▶ Schroeder shot 43% from the floor after shooting 52% in the first half.

▶ Baldwin shot 27% for the game.

They said it

▶ Schroeder’s Addison Morgan, on being in Saturday’s championship: “We’re ready to go.”

▶ Schroeder coach Mrozek: “We changed our defense for the first time all year. We’ve been man-to-man but we knew this would be a tough matchup so we worked on a 2-3 zone and played most of the game with that and it helped us.”

▶ Mrozek: “With their press, they’re so good at it. They’re athletic and tough.”

This article originally appeared on MPNnow: Webster-Schroeder girls basketball survives, moves on to state final