For a moment that had been a long time coming, the last 2.5 seconds passed slowly.
Under the Copenhagen basket, Brookfield junior Jaelyn Vleer-Elliott grabbed her 11th rebound of the Section Three Class D girls basketball championship game. And then, this girl who had been in motion for 31 minutes and 57.5 seconds scoring 12 points, making 5 assists and stealing the ball 4 times, looked up at the scoreboard and froze.
For those remaining 2.5 ticks on the clock, Jaelyn cradled the ball in her arms. When she saw all zeros in the Onondaga Community College gym’s scoreboard, she dropped the ball and ran downcourt to her teammates.
That scoreboard also showed the Beavers had won 40-36.
Seven years ago the Brookfield Board of Education agreed to add girls basketball to their sports offerings. In their first year the Beavers won one game. In their second year they won three times.
This year they have collected 23 wins without a loss, with the program’s 75th win in six years Saturday over defending champs Copenhagen making them the best Class D team in the section this year and putting them in the state tournament.
Brookfield will travel back to OCC for a third straight weekend to play Section Ten’s Hammond. The game is set for 3:45 p.m. as the first of three girls games following two boys games, including the CCL’s DeRuyter, winners of the boys Class D title. The game time means a change in this week’s production of the BCS musical; see separate story for details.
Saturday’s winner moves on to the girls Class D Final Four semifinals at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy Friday, March 20 in the 3:15 p.m. game following the 1:30 first semifinal.
The girls Class D state championship game is set for Saturday, March 21, 7 p.m. at HVCC.
Hammond, Brookfield’s next opponent, comes in at 23-2 and winners of 23 straight before losing to Class B Canton in the Section Ten overall…