LIVINGSTON MANOR – Audra Sipple Spath would have had a hard time deciding which team to cheer for. The Livingston Manor [now Rockland] educator and mother of two Sullivan West alums would have been delighted that both of ‘her teams’ made the finals, and probably would have sat at midcourt so she could cheer them both on.

But one thing is for certain, the late Audra Sipple Spath would have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support for the Annual Tournament, which saw big crowds both days for the event which raises money for college scholarships in her honor.

The second day of the Sipple Spath Scholarship Tournament was held this past Saturday at Rockland High School.

Championship Game: Sullivan West Bulldogs vs Rockland Wolves

The energy in the Rockland gymnasium was high for the championship game as the home team had made it to the finals and Sullivan West fans traveled back to Livingston Manor to support their Bulldogs. 

Sullivan West was able to break the ice first with an inside pass into a layup by Rozalyn Passante followed by a deep three by Ella Herbert. The Lady Bulldogs set the pace of the game while Rockland initially struggled to match up. By the end of the first quarter Sullivan West had a slim 10-7 lead over Rockland. Within the first 30 seconds of the second quarter Rockland’s Anastasia Niforatos sank a deep three to tie the score 10-10. Both teams were going shot for shot until Sullivan West started to pull away late in the second quarter. Ella Herbert was the lead scorer for the team. The Lady Bulldogs finished the second quarter up 20-12 over Rockland going into the half. 

It seemed like Rockland’s fate was sealed after Sullivan West held them to just 3 points early in the third quarter. The Lady Wolves just couldn’t contend with Sullivan West’s intense full court press. But Rockland slowly started to claw their way back and ended the quarter down by 10 with enough time to catch up. But in the final quarter the Wolves were unable to make a comeback on the offensive end and Sullivan West took home the 46-29 championship win. 

 “We played much better today and played a bit freer,” Sullivan West Coach Pat Donvan said. “We knocked down shots early and our defense played well tonight. We got contributions from every single girl on the team and that’s awesome as well, I’m really proud of them.”

Consolation Game: Tri-Valley Bears vs

 Fallsburg Comets

Both teams came out of the gate with drive and physical play. The game looked evenly matched. A tough defensive game initially, with both teams forcing multiple turnovers and picking up several steals. The first quarter ended with the Lady Bears up 11-5 over Fallsburg. In the second quarter, both teams ramped up their intensity, but Tri-Valley was able to widen their lead to 21-10 to go into halftime. 

In the second half, the Lady Comets started leveraging their height and dumped passes to Marilyn Santos and Joslyn Smith to score easy layups. They also locked down the paint, preventing Tri-Valley from scoring inside. However, the Lady Bears started sinking outside shots to widen their lead. Ally Chevalier and Jordan Dymond led their team with jumpers around the perimeter, allowing Tri-Valley to rapidly pull away in the end. The Lady Bears finished strong with a 44-27 win over Fallsburg to win third place in the tournament.