By Mike Zummo
It’s been a long road as the Wallkill girls’ basketball team’s three seniors played their last regular season game on Thursday in the Vinnie DeAngelis Gymnasium at Wallkill High School.
They went out in a big way, defeating the New Paltz Huguenots, 75-24, and clinching the Mid-Hudson Athletic League Division I championship.
“It was awesome,” said Emma Schwarzbeck, the longest-tenured Panther, having been on the team since she was in eighth grade. “The whole team put together such a great night for me, Lexi (Mesuch) and Jordyn (Detz) and I’m just so happy with our big win. (Fifty-one) points is insane. I’m so excited to roll right through the rest of this regular season and into MHALs and I hope we go farther than we expect.”
Before the game started, the team honored Schwarzbeck, Mesuch and Detz, who joined Schwarzbeck on the roster when they were freshmen. That’s longer than most varsity players get to spend together.
“They’re great kids,” Wallkill coach A.J. Higby said. “They’re all about basketball. They’re all in. Their families are all in. It’s really that good.”
As so many of the Panthers games have been this season, it was decided by the end of the first quarter as the Panthers scored 23 points, only one less than the Huguenots scored all game.
Four Panthers scored in double figures with freshman Zoe Mesuch leading the way with a game-high 15 points. Schwarzbeck added 13 and Detz and Emma Spindler had 10 each.
With all that combined time together comes familiarity, and this year it’s turned into a 15-1 record, a division championship and a lot of lopsided wins.
“We have really good team chemistry on the court,” Schwarzbeck said. “I’ve never played so well with a team my entire life. We all can find each other really well, shoot the ball well. We trust each other to finish our good passes, and we work really well on the court together, and off the court. We are the best of friends.”
Although the wins have piled up, it’s been bittersweet for both Detz and Schwarzbeck as they each lost a grandparent since the last full season.
“Them not being able to be here on our Senior Night and to watch us play our last season together was kind of hard for us,” Schwarzbeck said. “I’m sure for Lexi it was also hard because she is feeling the same emotions. She grew up with Jordyn’s grandmother and grandfather, so it was very emotional. But we know that they’re here with us in spirit and we’re thankful for everything.”
Thursday’s win left the Panthers with one more regular season game, which was scheduled for Tuesday. A road game in Saugerties.
The MHAL championships are scheduled for next week with the Panthers expecting to visit the Red Hook Raiders.
There may still be more home games as if they make the MHAL finals, they would host, and they could host at least one Section 9 Class A tournament game.
But those haven’t been scheduled yet.
“I don’t think it’s hit me yet,” Schwarzbeck said. “I’ve been playing here for so long, I’m like, ‘oh, I’m going to come back next year and it’s fine,’ but honestly, I’m kind of scared that it’s going to hit me soon, and I’m never going to play in the Wallkill gym ever again. It’s kind of sad.”