Elizabeth Lofaro was taking half-court shots in gym class on Friday when her teacher asked why because she wasn’t going to be doing that in the game.
Well, she did.

Lofaro banged a half-court shot off the back board and into the basket to end the first quarter, giving the Dukes a seven-point lead.

“She comes up and says I was practicing that in gym class today,” older sister senior Erin Lofaro said. “I was like, ’great.’ That’s great that she did that. It was kind of unexpected.”

The Dukes, who turned a disappointing loss in the Mid-Hudson Athletic League tournament, into two straight convincing sectional wins to that point, were able to run off again and defeated top-seeded Onteora, 69-51, on Friday at Mount St. Mary College in Newburgh to win their second straight Section 9 Class B championship.

“I wanted to win this, especially with my sister and it’s my last year playing with her,” Elizabeth Lofaro said. “I wanted to make the most of the time we had. I know she deserves this as much as everybody else. I’m really happy.”
Every game since sectional play begin, Erin Lofaro took the court with the knowledge that each game could be the last. Friday night was no different.
“I couldn’t sleep last night.” She said. “It was just adrenaline. This is where you want to be. We came together as a team. This was a dream of ours. The second year in a row. I can’t put it into words.”

She certainly did her part, scoring a game-high 20 points.

And she wasn’t the only one. Eighth-grader Hannah Polumbo had a big second half, scoring 14 of her 17 points in the second half.

“I’m so proud of her,” Elizabeth Lofaro said. “She played fantastic. She really stepped up, even being in eighth grade. It was phenomenal.”

In total, four Dukes scored in double figures as Elizabeth Lofaro scored 13 points and Briana Bernicker added 10.

“They stepped up,” Marlboro coach Marion Appler said. “We struggled a little bit throughout the game. They all stepped up. Hannah had an incredible game. Briana Bernicker had an amazing game. Paige (Dawson) gives her heart out every second.”

Lucciana Robertson led top-seeded Onteora with 13 points and Monroe Maki added 12. Erin Downs scored 10.

Erin Lofaro gave Marlboro its first lead of the game with 5:47 left in the first quarter when she broke a 1-1 tie with a jump shot.

Robertson gave Onteora a brief lead by converting a three-point play, but Elizabeth Lofaro’s 3-pointer started a 10-0 run and the Dukes never looked back. The Dukes led 19-6 after the first quarter and 30-20 at halftime.

Marlboro got off to a faster start in the third quarter, starting with a 6-0 run to take a 16-point lead.

“I think that’s what we wanted in the locker room,” Erin Lofaro said. “To come out at the half and keep the momentum going. Each quarter you want to come out with more momentum.”

The Dukes will now move onto the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class B regional semifinals on Wednesday at Horace Greeley High School against the Section 1 champion Putnam Valley.

“This is my last go so I want to make the most of it,” Erin Lofaro said. “This is a dream for me and for Lizzie. This is our storybook ending and we want to end it right.”