Schalmont edges Waterloo in state title thriller

Troy, N.Y. (NEWS10) — After rolling through Section 2, the Schalmont girls basketball team faced some adversity Saturday, battling through injuries and foul trouble to top General Brown in the Class B state semifinals. Sunday, they’d face their toughest test yet, looking for the program’s first-ever state championship.

The Sabres battled a Waterloo team entering with a 41-game win streak dating back to last season. Schalmont has been prone to slow starts this year, but that wasn’t the case Sunday. The Sabres started the game on a 13-2 run, leading 21-14 after the first quarter.

After leading by one at the half, the Sabres pushed the lead back to six in the third quarter. But the Indians made a 13-4 run to close the frame, taking their first lead of the game, 46-43, with just over a minute left to go in the quarter.

Waterloo led by four with three minutes to play. Schalmont senior Haley Burchhardt rattled off all 8 of her points in the final three minutes, including the go-ahead bucket with 25 seconds to play. The Sabres held on defense on their way to a 56-54 win, claiming the Class B state championship, the first in program history.

Payton Graber led the way with 20 points for the Sabres. “I mean, I’ve been on this team for six years, we’ve always looked up to this, like, ‘What if we make it to states one day?’,” said Graber. “To be actually be here and win the chip is just, it’s insane.”

For both Graber and Burchhardt, this championship has been a long time in the making. “Me and Payton have been, obviously, in this program for six years working our butts off every practice, every game and it just feels like it’s so incredible to finally bring home everything,” said Burchhardt. “It’s just beautiful. I love my team.”