MILFORD – The third time proved to be the charm for Cherry Valley-Springfield. The Patriots lost two previous meetings to Tri-Valley League East foe Milford before handing the sixth seeded Wildcats a 42-35 loss, Tuesday, in the first round of the Section IV Class D girls basketball playoffs at Milford Central School. Eleventh seeded CV-S was fueled by a controversial fourth quarter, as Milford seemed to come unraveled. The final period was full of calls and “no-calls” that all seemed to go the Patriots’ way, while the Wildcats’ fans, players and head coach Jim Weir were visibly upset with the officiating. In fact, following the game, Weir said he was too upset to comment on the contest. CV-S head coach Amy Garretson confirmed that her team did feed off the controversy in the fourth quarter. “Finally, it wasn’t against us,” Garretson said. “It seemed like finally the officials were calling it our way, after how many games here? It seems like the officials always go with the loudest (fans) and the biggest, and Jim’s a great coach, but I feel, finally, we got what we very much deserved.” Rebounding was also a big factor, as the Patriots grabbed 44 to Milford’s 25. CV-S was led by Courtney VanBrink’s 16 boards. She added 13 points for a double-double. VanBrink said Garretson told the Patriots to “drive, drive, drive, be aggressive and get the boards. Overall I think we did a pretty good job,” the sophomore added. Garretson felt rebounding was the factor. “I told the girls if they controlled the boards, we’d have the game, and they controlled the boards.” CV-S trailed for almost the entire first half before the third quarter saw five lead changes and two tie scores. The Patriots outscored Milford 15-7 in the last period to pull away. Garretson said CV-S wanted to beat the Wildcats pretty badly. “This feels absolutely wonderful. This is our championship. This is what the girls have worked for. This is just Heaven.” VanBrink’s 13 points and 16 rebounds led the Patriots, who improved to 11-7 and advanced Friday’s quarterfinals. Morgan VanAlstine just missed a double-double with 10 points and nine boards. Emily Brigham led Milford (14-6) with 13 points, and Chandler Prouty had 10 rebounds.
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