Girls Basketball Finishes One of Best Seasons in History

The Varsity Girl’s Basketball Team ended their season with a final record of 21-1. The Warriors lost to eventual Class C State Champion, Cooperstown,  at the Section III Class C Championship game at the SRC Arena, by a score of 48-33. Despite the loss, this is one of the best seasons that Weedsport has ever seen from a girl’s basketball standpoint; they were ranked No. 2 in the state for Class C schools for much of the season.

Girls Varsity Head Coach Chris Vargason reflected on the final game in stating, “I feel in the first half of the game we did not go to the boards…second half we started to get more aggressive.” He said he felt the shooting percentage could’ve been higher. On average, they shoot 35-40%, but against Cooperstown, they shot a mere 8%; mostly because they hurried shots and Cooperstown had a good “man-to-man” defense.

“I think we got off to a bad start at the beginning and just couldn’t gain enough momentum to catch up,” said Abby Marsden, senior. “We fought all season to get where we were and although it wasn’t the end we wanted, the season was unforgettable.” She felt that Cooperstown shut her down pretty well, as they attempted to shut down their star player as well. Marsden only had six points during the game.

“It was always such a joy to come to practice and coach these girls,” said head coach Chris Vargason, reflecting on this past season. “They came to practice every day to play the game they all loved and to improve for each other.”  Many underclassmen, including three 8th graders, one freshman, and four sophomores hopped on board this season to play at the varsity level.

“Being an all-star for the section is pretty cool, but I would give back all my personal achievements just for another shot at the title,” said team captain Marsden, who was named The Auburn Citizen’s Player of the Year for girl’s high school basketball. “I’d rather have something the whole team can share and celebrate.” She led the team, along with other senior captains, Morgan Besner and Ciara Hunter.

“I watched Abby grow as a player with great confidence and great leadership skills. Abby is a gifted athlete,” said Vargason on his years with Marsden. “It was a joy to watch her play all these years.” This season, she became the fourth girl in Weedsport history to pass the 1,000 Point Club; which added a great finale to her high school career.

The only other women to accomplish this feat are Kaitlyn Hammersley (2010), Karen Case (2002), and Brittany Laforce (2012).

Abby has some choosing to do however. She needs to choose a college to play either softball, basketball, or field hockey – all sports in which she excels in. In field hockey this year, they won their first sectional title in 20 years, with Abby being the starting goaltender for the Warriors. For softball, they unfortunately lost in the first round of sectionals, finishing with a record of 12-3.

“I’m 90% sure I’m going to St. John Fisher next fall,” said Marsden on her college choices and her athletic choice. “I might play basketball, I might not. Softball is also an option, and I haven’t really figured out what I really plan on doing.”

“A lot of girls are taking interest in our basketball program at all levels,” said Vargason. “If our girls continue to work in the off-season, trust and believe in each other, next season I see us playing at a championship level.”

The Lady Warriors had a fantastic season, finishing undefeated, but ultimately losing in the championship game. Many records were broken, and accomplishments were achieved. There were stand-out players, especially from the underclassmen. There were close games, and there were blow outs. But what is the old saying? “Number two in the section, number one in our hearts.”