Clockwise from left, Fox Lane senior captain Cara Drapala was on fire, but had to leave the game early with an injury. Morgan Clinton finishes in the paint in playoff victory over Lakeland. The Foxes’ Cora Moore looks to get a shot off. ROB DIANTONIO PHOTOS
By JIM MACLEAN
The tears came early for the Fox Lane girls varsity basketball team, but they still had to finish the game, and their best was yet to come.
Against the odds, they found their inspiration and pulled out a victory to advance.
In a tight game as Fox Lane hosted Lakeland in the first round of the Section 1 Class AA tournament Feb. 22, the clock winding down with about four minutes left in the fourth quarter, the gym was silenced by screams.
Fox Lane senior captain Cara Drapala, who was up to that point leading the Foxes in scoring with 15 points and driving up the court, was suddenly on the ground in agony. Drapala had missed all last season with a knee injury, and her teammates knew she was in pain. Drapala had to be helped off the court with another knee injury, this time to her other knee.
All of her teammates were in tears and the gym was silent as Fox Lane coach Kris Matts gathered his team together to resume play.
“When Cara went down she was in a lot of pain, the girls love her and it rattled them, they were crying, and I was concerned,” explained Matts. “However, they have been so tough all season, and they got together and they rallied, they just said we have to do this for Cara. That’s their captain, their leader, their friend, she inspired them and I’m so proud of them.”
Fox Lane made one big play after another and sank several key free throws as the Foxes survived with a 56-47 victory to advance to the quarterfinals.
Several players responded down the stretch making big plays. Cora Moore finished with 16 points, 12 rebounds, three steals and three assists to lead the way. Morgan Clinton had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, including some big boards in the final minutes. Riley New scored 10 points and had eight assists and four steals.
Entering the game, Fox Lane had earned the No. 5-seed with a 14-6 record and Lakeland was the No. 12-seed, but the Foxes were expecting a tough battle as the two teams had squared off against each other a couple of weeks ago.
Lakeland came out strong and it was a battle with a playoff atmosphere as the two teams were tied up at the half. Fox Lane opened the second half strong and led by nine points heading into the fourth, but the Hornets answered and kept cutting it close before the Foxes rallied to close out the win.
“In Class AA, seeds 1-14 there were no easy matchups, we had just played them in a tight game and this one was tight tied at halftime,” admitted Matts. “The third quarter we started clicking. Cara was hitting big shots, Riley finding the open player, Mogan hitting shots and grabbing rebounds, and Cora came to life and she played out of her mind. A big night for her, especially in the fourth quarter, she made three out of four free throws to ice it.”
With the victory Fox Lane improved to 15-6 overall and the Foxes were set to go on the road to face No. 4-seed Mahopac in the quarterfinals on Thursday, Feb. 27. The Foxes hope to keep the magical season going and they might have to play without Drapala, but Matts feels his team is ready for the challenge with a trip to the Westchester County Center for the semifinals on the line.
“They continue to work hard and they’ve made me proud all season,” Matts said of his team. “They showed a lot of poise to pull that win out, and they really want to keep playing.”