ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Squaring off for the first time since the semifinals of last season's Class AAA sectional tournament, the Colonie and Shenendehowa girls basketball teams played another thrilling game Thursday night in Albany that had the feel of a late-February matchup.
Colonie won that meeting back on Feb. 29, taking down top-seeded Shen as the four-seed in the tournament. The Wolfpack went on to win the sectional championship.
The defending champs made it two straight victories against their Suburban Council foes Thursday night, knocking off Shen, 65-60, behind 20-point efforts from sophomore Ella Trimarchi and junior Olivia Hoffman.
An evenly-played first half saw five lead changes and neither team maintaining a lead of more than five points. Shen closed the second quarter on an 11-2 run, and headed for halftime with a 26-22 advantage.
Colonie erupted out of the locker room, rattling off the first seven points of the third quarter with just 75 seconds coming off the clock. Aliyah Pearson knocked down a long, two-point jumper from the corner that put the Wolfpack up 29-26, and induced a Joseph Murphy timeout.
That did little to stop the Colonie offensive attack, though. The Wolfpack put another 12 points on the board in just under four minutes.
Trimarchi knocked down a three-pointer from the top of the key at the 2:55 mark, which extended the margin to a game-high nine points at 41-32, and forced Murphy to spend another timeout. Trimarchi posted 11 of her 22 total points in the third quarter.
But Shen responded well after that break in the action. On its first possession out of the timeout, freshman Kailey Weber converted an old-fashioned, three-point play. After Trimarchi answered at the other end with a lay-up, Shen's Gianna Sodon - also a freshman - went on an absolute tear, connecting from beyond the arc on three straight possessions to give her team a 44-43 edge.
Colonie reclaimed the lead before the end of the quarter when Hoffman scored a two-pointer in the lane, capping a frenetic third quarter that saw 45 combined points.
The first five-plus minutes of the final stanza was back-and-forth. With under three minutes remaining, Colonie clung to a 57-56 lead. The Wolfpack got some much-needed breathing room when Hoffman drilled a trey ball at the 2:18 mark.
But Shen countered with back-to-back buckets. Weber netted a lay-up on a back-door cut off a nice feed from Sodon to tie the game at 60 with 59 seconds left on the game clock.
On Colonie's ensuing possession, Hoffman got the ball down low to Trimarchi, who finished at the rim to reclaim the Wolfpack a 62-60 edge.
Shen came back down the floor looking for a response. Kate Milham attacked the basket, but was blocked by Trimarchi, giving Colonie possession of the ball with just 22 seconds to play.
Trimarchi closed the game out at the charity stripe, netting three free throws down the stretch to secure Colonie the victory.
Trimarchi and Hoffman were the only two players for the Wolfpack to score in double figures, netting 22 and 21 points, respectively. Aliana Payne contributed seven points and Pearson six.
Sodon led the attack for Shen with 17 points. Gianna Winter followed closely with 16, Weber posted 12 and Mya Parker had nine.
Colonie improves to 4-1, 2-1 in-league, and returns to action Monday, Dec. 23 to take on Section I's Albertus Magnus. Shen falls to 2-1, 1-1, and has a very quick turnaround, hosting Saratoga Springs Friday at 12:45 p.m.
