Marlboro’s Jetta Stephens dribbles the ball up to New Paltz’s Ally Pannuto during Friday’s game at New Paltz.
New Paltz’s, Bella Santos looks to pass the ball as Marlboro’s, from left,Taylor Felicello and Jetta Stephens cover her during Friday’s game at New Paltz.
Marlboro’s Melissa Sadler weaves her way around New Paltz’s, from left, Hailey Osborne and Bridget Barry during Friday’s game at New Paltz.
The Marlboro High School girls basketball team faced adversity Friday, at the beginning of the game and at the end.
New Paltz’s Hailey Osborne looks to pass the ball away from Malrboro’s Taylor Felicello during Friday’s game at New Paltz.
But when Missy Sadler sustained an ankle injury in the early going, the Iron Dukes didn’t panic. And when they were down by eight points to host New Paltz with two minutes left, they didn’t yield.
Marlboro overcame the odds both times and beat the Huguenots, 66-59.
“It was obviously a tough game,” said Marlboro coach Marion Casey, whose team improved to 8-0. “It’s games like this that make a team better and I’m proud of everyone for stepping up.”
Sadler went up for a rebound in the first quarter and came down hard, Casey said. She got fouled and rolled her ankle, forcing her to leave the game. Talaya Lewis came through, however, with 19 points. Julia Rusk added 17 points.
“Missy is a huge part of our team, but we were able to come together,” Casey said. “We were able to persevere and play as a team.”
Ally Pannuto scored 24 points for New Paltz, which fell to 4-5 and will visit Saugerties Tuesday. The late rally was a product of hard work, Casey added.
“It was tough,” Casey said. “We kept chipping away. We did what we had to do for the last two minutes to make it possible.”
A.J. Martelli: amartelli@poughkeepsiejournal.com, 845-437-4836, Twitter: @AJM_PoJoSports