Pine Bush girls win Wallkill tournament

By Mike Zummo
Posted 1/8/25

Zoe Mesuch scored more points than any other player at the Wallkill Coaches vs. Cancer girls’ basketball tournament on Dec. 28 and 30, but the Pine Bush Bushmen had the more balanced attack.

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Pine Bush girls win Wallkill tournament

Posted

Zoe Mesuch scored more points than any other player at the Wallkill Coaches vs. Cancer girls’ basketball tournament on Dec. 28 and 30, but the Pine Bush Bushmen had the more balanced attack.

Pine Bush’s Leticia Watson and Ketura Rutty scored 17 points each as the Bushmen won the tournament for the second straight year with a 59-35 win over the Panthers on Dec. 30 at Wallkill Senior High School.

Pine Bush freshman Mya Watson added 10 points.
Mesuch, a Navy commit in her senior season, scored 25 of the Panthers’ 39 points.

Leticia Watson was named as the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, while Rutty was named to the all-tournament team.

Mesuch, who scored a game-high 38 points in the Dec. 28, opener, a 74-58, win over the Highland Huskies, was named to the all-tournament team.

Aoife Brady also was named to the all-tournament team for the Panthers. She only scored four points each in the two games, but was strong on the boards for the Panthers.

The Panthers win over the Huskies also was the 400th career victory for Wallkill coach A.J. Higby.

“It’s been great fun,” he said.

The championship game wasn’t nearly as fun.
Despite the Panthers scoring the game’s first four points, the Bushmen took their first lead of the game on a basket by Mya Watson with 2:52 remaining in the first quarter.

Mesuch answered with her first of four 3-point baskets to give the Panthers a short-lived 7-6 lead.

About 30 seconds later, Pine Bush’s Jayla Breland hit a basket, starting a 7-0 run that gave the Bushmen a 13-7 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Bushmen never trailed again.

The Bushmen reached the championship game with a 76-30 win over the Valley Central Vikings on Dec. 28. Rutty scored 20 points and Destiney Bolding added 13.

Consolation Game
Highland 69, Valley Central 58

Kelly Schmidt scored 31 points in the consolation game and was named to the all-tournament team, as the Valley Central Vikings outscored the Highland Huskies, 33-29, in the second half, but couldn’t overcome a difficult second quarter.
The game was tied, 10-10, after the first quarter, but the Huskies outscored the Vikings, 30-15, in the second quarter to take control of the game.

Schmidt was named to the all-tournament team.
Giselle Johnson and Jenna O’Connor added 13 and 10 points each for the Vikings.

Danica Valente and Sam Callahan scored 21 points each for the Huskies.

Callahan was named to the all-tournament team.