'A value that can only be experienced'
12-04-24
It came down to the final 3.5 seconds of a nail-biting fourth period, with the Quakers prevailing to wrest the Long Island Class A Championship crown from Southampton High School, 61-60, on Saturday, March 9th, as stands packed with red-outfitted Friends Academy fans cheered exuberantly.
"I want to congratulate the boys on their hard-fought win," praised Friends Academy Director of Athletics Diana Parente. "And I want to thank the community for their amazing turnout – it was a sea of red out there! We had families from Lower, Middle, and Upper schools come out today and that makes such an incredible difference to the players and the outcome of the game," she added.
While Friends led for much of the fast-paced contest by five to seven points, Southampton came back from behind to tie the game twice at critical junctures in the 4th period – 54-54 at 3:24 and 57-57 with 47.3 seconds left in the game.
"The game today was a nail-biter, back and forth," described Head Coach Matt Johnsen. "We played a very well-coached and athletically talented Southampton team," he remarked, as he shared why this Friends Academy team won in the end.
"I thought the boys played beautifully today. They played together, trusted each other, and worked as hard as I’ve ever seen them," said Coach Johnsen.
Missed foul shots on the part of Southampton kept the door open long enough for Friends Academy to seal the victory when, as the clock ticked down, a final Hail-Mary Southampton three-pointer careened off the rim... and the Friends Academy stands exploded.
The win propels the Quakers into the New York State Class A Championships in Glen Falls, NY – Friends faces their first opponent, Wayne Central High School in the state semi-finals at 10:45 a.m. on Friday, March 15. The winner of that match will compete the next day for the Class A Championship on Saturday, March 16 at 5:15 p.m.
The Quakers have now won 18 consecutive games and, under Coach Johnsen and the entire Varsity Basketball coaching staff, are hoping to carry that momentum upstate. "We know all too well how difficult the games are in Glens Falls, but we are experienced and a true team," he promised.
See more photos from the LI Championship on the Friends Academy Flickr page
Photography by Arnold Miller for Friends Academy
