The Valley Central girls’ basketball team fell behind early and never recovered, as they finished fourth in the Wallkill Coaches vs. Cancer Holiday tournament with a 54-48 loss to the Highland Huskies on Saturday at Wallkill High School.

Kelly Schmidt led the Vikings with a game-high 17 points and Breonna Curtis Wright added 13. Schmidt was named to the all-tournament team.

It was a game the Vikings never held a lead in. They traded baskets with the Huskies to start the game, but after Highland’s Marisa Piegari broke the tie with 4:23 remaining in the first quarter, the Vikings never caught the Huskies again.

They did, however, pull to within one point three times in the first quarter.

After Piegari’s basket, Shalesse Joyner hit the first of two free throws to pull to within a point. The teams traded baskets and a free throw several times until Danica Valente scored five straight points to give the Huskies a 14-8 lead after the first quarter.

The Huskies never looked back from there and sent the Vikings into the locker room at halftime trailing, 30-19.

However, the Vikings showed they had some fight left in the third quarter.
After Highland’s Deanna Barry opened the quarter with a 3-pointer, the Vikings’ Maggie Bishopp answered with a spin move in the paint, starting a 9-0 run that pulled the Vikings back to within five points.

The Huskies led by seven points – 41-34 – after the third quarter, but never let the Vikings get closer than four points in a six-point victory.

The Huskies’ offense was led by Sam Calahan, who scored 15 points, leading a trio of Huskies into double figures. Valente scored 11 points and Barry added 10 points. Koehler was named to the all-tournament team.

It was only the second loss of the year for the Vikings, who have won six of their first eight games. They were scheduled to visit the Kingston Tigers on Tuesday for a non-league contest before returning to Wallkill High School on Saturday to face the Millbrook Blazers.

They are scheduled to return to Orange County Interscholastic Athletic Association Division II play on January 12 when they go on the road to face the Warwick Wildcats.