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Central Square High School girl’s basketball finished the 2021-22 season 4-17. Senior point guard Sam Haley even said the team barely had enough players to practice due to injuries.
But this past season, the Redhawks completely turned things around, finishing 15-8 after starting the season on a five-game win streak. In the postseason, Central Square advanced to its first ever sectional final, too. Head coach Kevin Brazell said this was the best team he had ever coached in his 38 years at the helm.

“Every game that we won, the closer our team got, so we knew at that point the season was going to be good for us,” Haley said.

Brazell said that, for years, the Redhawks have simply lacked luck, often being defeated in the sectional tournament quarterfinals and semifinals by teams that eventually won state championships. This year, his team reached a new milestone by falling just one round short of qualifying for the state tournament.

“He’s gotten a lot of awards and has a lot of wins, so I think we were kind of working toward that sectional title for us and him,” junior Gigi Basile said.

Basile, a score-first guard, stepped up several times late in the season by scoring 10 or more points in four of the final seven games. The trio of Haley, Basile and Natalie Bush often led Central Square in scoring.

The Redhawks’ 1-2 guard combo of Haley and Bush, which coach Brazell described as one of the best in the section, was one of the main reasons the team reversed its course this year. Brazell specifically referenced its win against rival Jamesville-Dewitt where the duo played great, connected basketball. Players and coaches saw the 41-29 victory as their most memorable moment of the season.

“It was just a life-changing moment,” Bush said.

Bush also facilitated the team’s chemistry off the court. The week prior to the Redhawks’ game against Avon High School, Bush and her teammate Payton St. Clair spearheaded a team dance contest. By the end of the contest, Bush said she even had her coaches joining in and learning TikTok dances.

“After we won, everybody — the coaches, JV, and varsity — we danced together to the Cupid Shuffle and the Cha Cha Slide,” Bush said.

The team played in several close games throughout the year, including four games that were decided by five points or fewer. Central Square went 3-1 in such games.

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“Our team is older, so in those situations where you have to knock down free throws, especially me and Natalie worked well together to take the pressure off of the other girls,” Haley said.

Haley averaged 10.1 points, 5.7 rebounds and nearly 5 assists per game as the primary ball-handler for Central Square. In one game, she nearly notched a triple-double, tallying eight points, nine rebounds, and eight assists against Whitesboro High School.

When playing against less disruptive defenses, Haley often carved up opponents by driving to the cup or precise passing to Bush. Brazell said the two have gotten better playing off of each other over time.

“Natalie is our best 3-point shooter, so we run a lot of plays where Sam will penetrate, draw people, and see if she can find Natalie out there for three,” Brazell said.

Bush dropped 20 points six separate times this season, scoring a season high 24 in a 46-59 loss at Cortland. She was a natural fit as a shooting guard offensively after playing a mix of the two backcourt positions last season when Haley dealt with a nagging ACL injury.

Brazell said Haley’s injury over the course of the 2021-22 season was one of the key reasons the team performed so poorly. Her absence was felt on both sides of the floor, as she was key on both sides.

Haley was often relied on as the blitzer in Brazell’s aggressive box-and-one defense. She attributed her success on that side to the team’s speed in closing out on opponents with open looks.

Central Square’s core this year was its defense, Brazell said. The team went 10-1 this year when holding opponents to under 40 points. Its only loss came in the sectional final, where Indian River High School clinched a state tournament berth with a 35-26 win over the Redhawks.

The team shot 9-44 from the field — a measly 20.5% in the loss. It kept close in the first half, trailing by just one at halftime, but could only manage 10 points in the second half.

“We noticed they would change constantly,” Bush said. ”They would press one minute, then they would fall back into zone, and then they would do man… so we kind of panicked and started to throw the ball away.”

Haley fouled out with 5 minutes left in the fourth quarter.

“After that, we just didn’t have a point guard, so it kind of just fell apart,” Haley said.

The Redhawks will return four of five starters, all of whom will be seniors alongside St. Clair, a junior. Haley, a Syracuse women’s soccer commit, will graduate, and coaches identified St. Clair as the floor general for next year’s team.

“She’s gonna have to fill in my spot totally next year, but I think with a little more experience, she knows basketball and will fill a good role,” Haley said.

Published on March 21, 2023 at 10:36 pm