Section 2 Class B Final Four Standouts

Sectional play in New York concluded this weekend, and now it is on to regional action. The Section 2 Class B Final Four was loaded with talent. The Class A, AA, and AAA schools tend to get the most attention, but the depth in Class B raised a lot of eyebrows. Mechanicville, Corinth, Coxsackie-Athens, and LaSalle earned spots in the semifinals, with Mechanicville defeating Corinth in the championship game. All four teams featured plenty of prospects, many of them juniors and below. Here is a look at the standouts.    [player_tooltip player_id='1276548' first='Bella' last='Craig'] has been a solid player during her career for Corinth, but she exploded onto the scene in the Class B Final Four. In the semifinals, Craig poured in 25 points for the Riverhawks, 19 in the first half. Craig helped her team get off to a fast start, scoring on leak-outs in transition, getting to the basket off the dribble, and knocking down 3-point shots. She also used her length to play outstanding defense on Coxsackie-Athens star [player_tooltip player_id='866528' first='Baileigh' last='Briski']. Craig came back in the title game and scored 14 points in Corinth's loss to Mechanicville. Craig was honored as a member of the Class B All-Tournament team.     Tanner Eiseman played a vital role in Mechanicville winning their fourth sectional title in school history, and first since 2018-2019. Eiseman is listed as a power forward, but she possesses skills that most post players don't have. Eiseman was dominant in the paint in the championship game against Corinth, scoring on several putbacks. She finished the game with a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds. Eiseman scored 21 in the semifinals. Eiseman also showed a soft shooting touch from the midrange. Her most impressive play was collecting a defensive rebound and weaving coast to coast through traffic to score a layup, showing off her ball-handling skills, which are superior for a power forward. She was named the Class B Tournament Most Valuable Player.     Mechanicville point guard Molly DiSiena may have saved her career-best performance for the biggest stage. The only senior for Mechanicville was a thorn in the side of Corinth all night in the Class B championship game. DiSiena steadily ran her team's offense, pestered the Corinth guards all night, and hit the big shot whenever it was called for. DiSiena finished with 16 points in the game, scoring from behind the arc, drives to the basket, and in transition. Her greatest strength is her ability to control the pace of the game and direct her team's set offense. DiSiena was also a disruptive force on the defensive end, causing many Corinth turnovers. She was named to the Class B All-Tournament team for her efforts.     [player_tooltip player_id='866528' first='Baileigh' last='Briski'] is the all-time leading scorer at Coxsackie-Athens High School. Briski is known as a big-time scorer, and she showed that despite her team's loss to Corinth in the Class B semifinals. Briski is an outstanding 3-point shooter with unlimited range. Her strongest move is a step-back jumper that causes separation from defenders. Briski can put the ball on the floor and beat defenders off the dribble to create easy scoring chances. Even though she is listed as a small forward, she does the bulk of the ballhandling for her team. Briski is a solid offensive rebounder who gets multiple scoring opportunities through second chances.     With teammate [player_tooltip player_id='866528' first='Baileigh' last='Briski'] saddled with foul trouble, [player_tooltip player_id='863717' first='Reaghan' last='Hellen'] stepped for Coxsackie-Athens and kept them in the game against Corinth in the Class B semifinals. Hellen was forced to become her team's primary ballhandler in the contest and did a very good job, scoring 26 points. The strength of Hellen in this game was her ability to get to the rack to score on layups and floaters. Hellen can also connect from behind the arc and from the midrange. Her long arms serve her well as an excellent defender.     [player_tooltip player_id='878933' first='Kate' last='Gilooly'] has had an outstanding career at La Salle Institute. Gilooly is a 1,000-point scorer, the first in school history, with a career high of 45 points. Gilooly also had a 34-point, 25-rebound double-double a year ago. She was out with an injury for much of the season, but you would have known it during the playoffs. Gilooly seemed to be in midseason form with her soft touch and perfect mechanics in the Class B semifinals, scoring 17 points, but she could not lead her team to a win. She has the range to step out and shoot 3-pointers, but she is especially lethal from the midrange. When straight on to the rim from the foul line, she is nearly automatic. Gilloly is the textbook definition of a pure scorer.     Whitney Cameron has been one of the top guards in the Adirondack League and Section 2 for the last several years. She has been on the varsity since eighth grade and is a 1,000-point scorer for the Rivehawks. During sectional play, Cameron showed off her deep shooting range from behind the arc, along with the ability to score in the lane off the dribble. Cameron also displayed her command of the team and ball-handling skills when running the point and was an aggressive, physical defender. Cameron scored 14 points in the semifinals and eight points in the championship game.

Sectional play in New York concluded this weekend, and now it is on to regional action. The Section 2 Class B Final Four was loaded with talent. The Class A, AA, and AAA schools tend to get the most attention, but the depth in Class B raised a lot of eyebrows. Mechanicville, Corinth, Coxsackie-Athens, and LaSalle earned spots in the semifinals, with Mechanicville defeating Corinth in the championship game. All four teams featured plenty of prospects, many of them juniors and below. Here is a look at the standouts.