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RYE BROOK, N.Y. – Shannon Reddy came into Blind Brook’s Section 1 Class B Girls Basketball quarterfinal game with Briarcliff on Tuesday wanting to contribute more in terms of offense.
“On offense, the past few games, I haven’t been playing that well, so I knew I needed to step up,” said Reddy, who is in her fourth varsity basketball year.
The junior asserted herself in the first quarter, giving the Trojans a lift. This enabled the second seed to take a lead it would never relinquish in an eventual 55-39 win over seventh-seeded Briarcliff.
Blind Brook advances to the Class B Final Four at the Westchester County Center Feb. 26. It is Blind Brook’s second consecutive and third final-four appearance in the past four years.
Blind Brook will play No. 3 John F. Kennedy Catholic of Somers at either 6:30 p.m. or 8:15 p.m. Tuesday.
Reddy swished her first two shots – perimeter jumpers – and finished with four of her 10 points in the first quarter and also added two assists as Blind Brook led 15-8 after one.
“In the previous few games I’ve been trying to force my shots, which made me even more frustrated,” said Reddy, who also finished with four assists, two blocked shots and a steal. “It just came more natural for me today.
“After I hit my first two shots, that gave me more confidence. It also opened up everything else, especially down low for Ally (Silfen) and Jackie (Lavitt) to score.”
Reddy’s perimeter presence complements the inside play of Silfen and Lavitt. Briarcliff learned that leaving Reddy open on the perimeter resulted in baskets.
Briarcliff closed to within a point, at 24-23 one minute into the third quarter, but Reddy made a pivotal defensive play and finished it off. She knocked the ball out of a Briarcliff player’s hand, resulting in a steal for Silfen. Reddy then took a Silfen pass just before mid court and finished off the break with a left-handed layup with a defender contesting it.
“It felt amazing going the length of the court and finishing,” said Reddy with a big smile.
Silfen led Blind Brook with 22 points and Lavitt added 15.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” said Reddy of going to the County Center. “We’ve worked so hard for this. We know it’s going to be a tough road, but we are all looking forward to it.”
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