(Troy)

It took a half for both teams to settle in at HVCC — but once they did, Shenendehowa and Colonie delivered an instant classic. The Wolfpack survive this battle of two of the best large school girls teams in the state, 69-65, and have a chance for a three-peat Section title on Saturday vs. Shaker. The two teams will meet for the third year in a row in the large school girls final.

Shen came out firing, racing to a stunning 14-2 lead after the first quarter. Shen were sharp defensively and capitalized in spurts offensively, while Colonie struggled to convert even clean looks early.

By halftime, Shen still held a 23-16 advantage. Mya Parker rose to the moment in the opening half and led the way with nine first-half points. For Colonie, sophomore guard Payton Rundell provided the spark they needed. She poured in 10 first half points keeping the Wolfpack within striking distance despite a rough shooting half.

The game flipped in the third.

Colonie stormed back behind Aliyah Pearson, who knocked down three three-pointers in the quarter — the final one getting a friendly bounce as Colonie outscored Shen 20-10 in the frame. Meanwhile, Shen’s offense stalled during a critical stretch when Kate Milham sat with foul trouble. Kailey Weber delivered a key bucket but Colonie carried a 36-33 lead into the fourth.

The final quarter was everything you’d expect from a semifinal. Multiple lead changes. Multiple ties. Big shot after big shot.

And then, with Shen’s season on the brink, Kate Milham delivered a huge moment for Shen. The ball found her just inside the arc, she stepped back beyond the arc in the closing seconds, and the senior drilled a game-tying three to knot the score at 56 and send the game to overtime.

But Colonie found a way to escape OT with the win.

Despite seeing their late lead erased and trailing for much of the extra session, the Wolfpack scored the final five points to survive, closing out a 69-65 victory to advance to the Class AAA championship game. A key play was a backdoor cut from Ella Trimarchi who delivered the hoop on a great pass from Aliyah Pearson with under a minute left in OT.

Rundell finished with 19 points in a great effort coming off the bench, earning MVP chants from the Colonie faithful. Olivia Hoffman added 16, as four Wolfpack players reached double figures in a balanced offensive effort. Aliyah Pearson chipped in with 13 points and Ella Tirmarchi 11 points.

Kate Milham’s 20 points paced Shenendehowa. Kailey Weber added 16 points and Mya Parker 14 points.

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS