The team defeated the first seeded Poly Prep, who the girls had lost to twice  in the regular season.

No game was easy for the team in its playoff competition. In the quarterfinals, the team struggled against Horace Mann, allowing the game go into overtime. However, in extra minutes, Caleigh Ryan (’18) dominated play, finishing the game with an astounding 29 points. With supporting help from Elise Bousquette (‘18) and Olivia Tanzman (‘16), who both garnered rebounds in the double digits, Dalton won 64-57. This win secured the team a spot in the semi finals.

On Friday evening, the team faced Hackley at home. Despite having beaten Hackley twice this season, Dalton found itself down by twelve points going into the second half. While some teams may have been discouraged in the face of such a large deficit, Dalton came out with more heart and energy to start the second half than it had ever played with. The team wasted little time and went on a 16-0 tear. Off the bench, Grace Jaeger (’17) contributed to this third quarter surge, converting a pivotal steal into a fastbreak layup. The Tigers finished the third quarter with a six point lead, thanks to Ema Schumer (‘18)’s buzzer beater from deep beyond the arc that sent the capacity crowd to its feet. The two teams played neck and neck throughout the fourth quarter. Captain Olivia Tanzman  fouled out with six minutes to play in the game, but Dalton locked down on defense. Charlotte Leone (’19) guarded Hackley’s star player tightly, giving her little room to breathe, and Elise Bousquette protected the rim, inviting Hackley players to the block party on five separate occasions. Dalton won the semi final game, 52-48.

Championship fever permeated the air on Sunday, a breezy, 50 degree day. Dalton spectator buses drove students and teachers up to Fieldston, where the game was held. Although there was chatter that it was Poly’s game to win — as it was the higher seed — Dalton fans packed the gym, muffling the cheers of the dispersed Poly fans. Dalton danced toe to toe with Poly in the first two quarters, ending the first half up by four points. Coach Amanda Cecil delivered a motivating halftime speech to the team, which incited Dalton to come out strong in the second half. Yet, late into the third quarter, Dalton trailed Poly by one point, 36-37. However, Dalton was not about to give up. In the fourth quarter, the Tigers went on a 17-0 run, and only gave up two points — both of which were free throws. The final score of the game was 55-39. Noteworthy, Ema Schumer  finished with 20 points and both Elise Bousquette and Olivia Tanzman had double doubles. Caleigh Ryan also had 11 points and 7 rebounds.  

This victory denoted Girls Varsity Basketball’s first NYSAIS Championship (Girls Varsity Basketball made it to the finals in 2010 but lost). The championship win also ended the seven year state championship drought for Dalton sports teams, which hadn’t won a title since 2008, when girls track and field won NYSAIS.

WRESTLING also set a record, by qualifying four wrestlers to attend Nationals which was held at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. This was the most athletes that Dalton had ever taken to Wrestling Nationals, surpassing last season when one Dalton wrestler qualified for the tournament. The four talented wrestlers were Tareq Saghie (‘16), Casey Schneider (‘17), Julien Loo (‘17), and Willie Swett (‘18). Noteworthy, Schneider pinned his opponent in the first period. Dalton achieved 61st place out of over 100 teams. Coaches Travis Brown and Teddy Friedman were extremely excited to have brought so many talented wrestlers to nationals, and they hope to do it again next year.

After excelling in the homestretch of the regular season, BOYS VARSITY BASKETBALL qualified for the NYSAIS Tournament. At the eighth seed, the team faced a gargantuan first seeded Poly Prep on Tuesday afternoon. Dalton suffered a tough loss; however, the team was proud to have made it to the tournament and put up a strong fight.

To see the final bracket from the NYSAIS Boys and Girls Basketball Tournament, click here.

To see more photos from various Dalton sporting events, check out student photographer Josh Dunst (’18)’s website.

To follow Dalton Spring Athletics, make sure to continue following Dalton Tiger Report, which will continue coverage after Spring Training.

By Ema Schumer, with contribution from Willie Swett.

Statistics courtesy of William Bousquette.