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ALBANY – Queensbury senior Kendra Ballard missed a good portion of this girls’ basketball season with an injury. But she’s a returning all-state basketball player and a commit to the Arizona State women’s lacrosse team, so when she starts feeling more like her normal self, it pays to keep an eye on her.
That was something Broadalbin-Perth didn’t do well enough Sunday. In the Foothills Council Showcase crossover between the division’s No. 1 seeds, Ballard had a spectacular all-around game in leading the Spartans to an easy 70-35 win at Washington Avenue Armory.
Ballard finished with a game-high 22 points, four assists and three steals.
“I think I’m getting back to 100 percent,” Ballard said. “It’s been nice to be back with the team and get after it in practice and everything. There are definitely more improvements I could make, but I’m getting faster from working every day in practice.”
Queensbury (13-7) dominated early, taking a 19-4 lead after the first quarter and extending it in the second half. The first half, though, was where the Spartans’ ball movement befuddled Broadalbin-Perth (15-5). The Spartans assisted 12 of their 14 field goals in taking a 36-20 lead at the break.
“In practice yesterday we worked on really moving the ball, finding the openings — because we knew they were going to play zone against us,” Ballard said. “So it was finding those openings and working together as a team. It was working very well getting the ball in the middle and then looking opposite.”
Broadalbin-Perth coach Casey Russom said Sunday wasn’t his girls’ day.
“I don’t think we showed up today,” Russom said. “We did not play well. They executed very well, made a lot of shots, moved the ball well, did all the things good basketball teams do.”
Shea Canavan added 20 points and seven assists for Queensbury. Dyllan Ray had six points, five rebounds and five steals.
Macie Perry led the Patriots in scoring with 10 points. Camille Calderone added nine, while Molly Russom had seven points, eight rebounds and four blocks.
But Casey Russom knows his team has to step it up a lot before the Section II tournament.
“We’ve got to show a lot better effort,” he said. “We’ve got to do some fundamental things better.”
In a Foothills Council girls’ crossover game on Saturday, Glens Falls defeated Gloversville 60-30. Gianna Endieveri scored 18 points for Glens Falls, and CJ Lunt scored 10. Shiasia Williams led Gloversville with 12 points.
Queensbury 19 17 20 14 – 70
Broadalbin-Perth 4 16 11 4 – 35
Queensbury scoring: Zehr 1-0-2, Ballard 10-2-22, Dixon 1-4-7, Ray 3-0-6, Canavan 7-3-20, Rowley 2-0-4, Barton 3-0-6, Jones 1-0-3. Broadalbin-Perth scoring: Calderone 3-1-9, Russom 1-4-7, S.Perry 1-0-2, M.Perry 5-0-10, Hotaling 1-0-2, Marsden 2-1-5. Team totals: Queensbury 28-9-70. Broadalbin-Perth 13-6-35.
Contact Will Springstead at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @WLSpringstead.
