The return of Section VII’s end-of-season high school basketball tournament featured two double-digit wins from two sectional champions.Saranac High School, the Class B champions, and Moriah High School, the Class C champions, were the two winning schools in the girls’ basketball matchups of the 2025 Champions Challenge. Saranac took down the Class A champions Peru High School in the two teams fourth meeting of the season in a 50-34 win. With the victory, the Spartans split the season series against the Nighthawks at two games apiece. Brenna Ducatte led Saranac with 18 points, while Layla Pellerin and Lily Brown also chipped in with 12 and 11 points, respectively. Ducatte said she is thrilled to see her younger teammates step up and contribute on offense right before the state playoffs begin for them. “These last few games its really great,” Ducatte said. “The younger players like Maddie (Gagnier) and Lilly (Brown) are stepping up and it’s helping us a lot. That’s what we need as we go into regionals.”Outside of Reese Duprey’s 18 points, no other Peru Nighthawk scored more than six points. Ducatte said greater attention to interior defense was key to holding Peru to under 35 points of offense.”Taking off the pressure a little bit from the outside and focusing more on the post defense because that’s where they get most of their points,” Ducatte said. “Just making adjustments, making the right switches when needed was key.”In the Class C and Class D game Moriah battled back down early against Schroon Lake to take the 52-37 win over the Class D champions. “I definitely liked our energy,” said Moriah junior guard Lexi Mascarenas. “We started off slow, but we kept going, and we didn’t let that lead from Schroon Lake affect us.”Mascarenas led her squad with a game-high 30 points with elite perimeter shooting. She cashed in 5 three-pointers with several long midrange jumpers as well. Emmy Nephew also chipped in with eight points. Schroon Lake was led by Olivia Hartwell, who dropped a team-high 17 points. Carly Smith and Sloan Clark both had eight points apiece for the Wildcats. The state playoffs are up next for all four competing teams in tonight’s games, and each squad is looking to give their best effort at a shot for a state title run. “Mindset is whatever happens happens,” Mascarenas said. “We won that sectional championship; that’s what we were aiming for.” “At this point we are just getting more playing time, more situational games.””I think we got a good shot this year,” Ducatte said. “Just got to work hard, keep our minds to it, and yeah I’m excited!”Both Peru and Saranac will play the Section II champions at Averill Park High School on Wednesday, March 12 Saranac will play at 6 p.m., while Peru will follow Saranac after that at 7:30 p.m.Moriah will play the Section X champions Lisbon High School on Tuesday, March 11 at SUNY Potsdam. Tip-off is to be determined.Schroon Lake will play the Section X champions Chateaugay High School on Saturday, March 15 at Clinton Community College. Time for that matchup is to be determined.
The return of Section VII’s end-of-season high school basketball tournament featured two double-digit wins from two sectional champions.
Saranac High School, the Class B champions, and Moriah High School, the Class C champions, were the two winning schools in the girls’ basketball matchups of the 2025 Champions Challenge.
Advertisement
Saranac took down the Class A champions Peru High School in the two teams fourth meeting of the season in a 50-34 win. With the victory, the Spartans split the season series against the Nighthawks at two games apiece.
Brenna Ducatte led Saranac with 18 points, while Layla Pellerin and Lily Brown also chipped in with 12 and 11 points, respectively. Ducatte said she is thrilled to see her younger teammates step up and contribute on offense right before the state playoffs begin for them.
“These last few games its really great,” Ducatte said. “The younger players like Maddie (Gagnier) and Lilly (Brown) are stepping up and it’s helping us a lot. That’s what we need as we go into regionals.”
Outside of Reese Duprey’s 18 points, no other Peru Nighthawk scored more than six points. Ducatte said greater attention to interior defense was key to holding Peru to under 35 points of offense.
“Taking off the pressure a little bit from the outside and focusing more on the post defense because that’s where they get most of their points,” Ducatte said. “Just making adjustments, making the right switches when needed was key.”
In the Class C and Class D game Moriah battled back down early against Schroon Lake to take the 52-37 win over the Class D champions.
“I definitely liked our energy,” said Moriah junior guard Lexi Mascarenas. “We started off slow, but we kept going, and we didn’t let that lead from Schroon Lake affect us.”
Mascarenas led her squad with a game-high 30 points with elite perimeter shooting. She cashed in 5 three-pointers with several long midrange jumpers as well. Emmy Nephew also chipped in with eight points.
Schroon Lake was led by Olivia Hartwell, who dropped a team-high 17 points. Carly Smith and Sloan Clark both had eight points apiece for the Wildcats.
The state playoffs are up next for all four competing teams in tonight’s games, and each squad is looking to give their best effort at a shot for a state title run.
“Mindset is whatever happens happens,” Mascarenas said. “We won that sectional championship; that’s what we were aiming for.” “At this point we are just getting more playing time, more situational games.”
“I think we got a good shot this year,” Ducatte said. “Just got to work hard, keep our minds to it, and yeah I’m excited!”
Both Peru and Saranac will play the Section II champions at Averill Park High School on Wednesday, March 12 Saranac will play at 6 p.m., while Peru will follow Saranac after that at 7:30 p.m.
Moriah will play the Section X champions Lisbon High School on Tuesday, March 11 at SUNY Potsdam. Tip-off is to be determined.
Schroon Lake will play the Section X champions Chateaugay High School on Saturday, March 15 at Clinton Community College. Time for that matchup is to be determined.
