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Apr. 18—LAFARGEVILLE — Last season, Emeline Barton and her LaFargeville girls basketball teammates experienced a breakout campaign.
The Red Knights captured the first Section 3 title in program history, but then were soundly beaten in a state quarterfinal by eventual state champion Hammond.
This proved to be a vital learning experience as well as motivation heading into this past season. LaFargeville returned even stronger, ultimately making a run to their own state championship.
Led by Barton, a versatile senior guard who became even more of a complete player, the Red Knights generated a school record 22-win season and achieved even more goals on their list and orchestrated a successful run through all of the state playoffs.
"I don't think it's completely settled in with all of us yet, I think we're still kind of like almost a little bit in shock," she said. "But we made goal cards at the beginning of the season and it was pretty much on all of our cards, so it's just really cool to check that off our list of things to do, and it's something I've always wanted to do at least once in my high school career, so I'm really thankful and happy that we got to achieve that, get all the way there and win it this year."
For her efforts, Barton has been named as the Times All-North Most Valuable player representing the Frontier League.
"I'm very grateful, it's super awesome and an honor to be named that," she said. "I think that there's a lot of very great players in the north country, so it's just really cool to receive that award."
"She is very well-rounded, and not just as an athlete, but as a human being in general," LaFargeville coach Zack Steiner said. "I've told her this many times and talking about her at our sports banquet, but I thought that her leadership this year was one of her best qualities outside of just looking at the stat sheet. She's come a long way with just being such a positive leader and just doing things the right way. She's been a great leader for us."
Barton diversified her game even further, developing into more of a facilitator on the court in setting up her teammates, rather then primarily shooting the ball.
"I think that this year, especially, a lot of the girls went to open gyms over the summer, a lot of the girls travel-teamed over the summer," Barton said. "So I think that trusting my teammates and their abilities really helped us get to the point where we got to the point where we ended, I think that really just helped us. I mean, I always have trust in my teammates, but I think this year a lot of them really stepped up in their roles, and they had a lot of key moments and parts to why we made it that far and why we won."
This season, Barton averaged 25.6 points per game, as well as totaling team highs in rebounds (151), assists (78) and steals (135).
"Thankfully this year, I think she got to play off the ball a little bit more because her sister Margie stepped up into more of a ball-handling role," Steiner said. "I mean she still had the ball in her hands quite a bit, she's a ball-dominant guard, she was our point guard, shooting guard most of the year. But I think her whole makeup just changed I feel this year, she took a lot less threes this season and tried to get to the basket a lot more.
"Because she's a good free-throw shooter, so she was able to get inside and draw contact and get to the line quite a bit. "She's a great finisher, especially through contact with tough angles and tough driving lanes, she can just finish really well."
Barton finished with 1,813 career points in four varsity seasons, including her freshman season at Immaculate Heart Central before transferring to her hometown of LaFargeville before her sophomore campaign.
This led to LaFargeville generating even more success this season, as following the regular season in which it won the league's "C-D" Division title with a 12-0 record, it secured the "D" Division's playoff title for the second straight season.
"It definitely wasn't easy," Emeline said of the team's postseason run. "All the teams that we played obviously were all very good, they didn't want their season to end, we didn't want our season to end, so it was just really physical and I feel like they were defensively-minded games."
After defeating Copenhagen in a sectional semifinal, the Red Knights outlasted another division foe in Sackets Harbor, 54-35, to claim its second consecutive Section 3 title.
LaFargeville took another big step when it defeated South Kortright/Andes, 56-47, to win a state quarterfinal at Tompkins-Cortland Community College to become the first basketball team from the school to reach a state final four.
Undaunted, the Red Knights topped Section 10 champion Chateaugay, 56-41, to win an all-north country state semifinal held at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy. Barton once again led the way, this time pouring in 38 points, including faring 14-for-27 from the field.
The next day, LaFargeville achieved the ultimate as it outfought Section 2's Northville in a 43-37 decision to claim the Class D state championship on March 21.
"Northville was really, really physical and obviously they're all great players," she said. "I think that in the past and at that point of the season, we had seen pretty much every defense, so we've become pretty accustomed to what plays to run and how to set up in our offense. So I think just getting to play in all different types of games in different types of atmospheres really helped us, especially against a team like them who were very physical and an overly strong team."
"She was just engaged the entire time as a leader," Steiner said. "And again, she's always led by example, but I thought her vocal leadership came out so much her senior year, it was awesome and it was great to see."
Barton considered the who season experience "special," especially the support the team received by the small-town community.
"I think that with it being a small community when things like this happen, it just brings everybody together and gives people a reason to get out of their house, go watch a game, just gives people some excitement. And I think that's what we did and I'm really grateful that we got to do that and I hope that everyone continues to show support over the next few years, too. That was just awesome to see everyone."
LaFargeville also benefitted from the chemistry between Barton and younger sister and sophomore Margie Barton.
"We obviously played together since we were little, whether that be in the backyard or little league games to travel league games, we've always just played together," Emeline said. "So I think that knowing our tendencies as players really helped each other out, like knowing when she's going to shoot, or knowing when she's going to cut to the basket, I think little things like that and just understanding each other really helped us as well."
While Emeline supplied 25 points and 11 rebounds in the final, Margie contributed 11 points, including a trio of 3-pointers, including one decisive three in the closing minutes of the game.
Among those also seriously considered for All-North MVP honors was Immaculate Heart Central senior Abby Bombard, who was selected as the league's "AA-A-B" Division most valuable player and guided her team to the sectional semifinals in Class D.
Emeline Barton has committed to attend Houghton University in western New York, which plays at the Division III level.
She'll play basketball at the Christian-based school and hopes to one day pursue a career in the medical field.
"And I do plan to play basketball there," she said. "When I went on my visit, I just really loved all the players and the coaching staff, they're just like very nice and they have a strong program, so I think that was just the best fit for me out of my options. It's really cool, I'll get to play basketball, further my education and further my faith, so that's not something that many people get to do, and I'm grateful I'll get to do it."
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The Red Knights captured the first Section 3 title in program history, but then were soundly beaten in a state quarterfinal by eventual state champion Hammond.
This proved to be a vital learning experience as well as motivation heading into this past season. LaFargeville returned even stronger, ultimately making a run to their own state championship.
Led by Barton, a versatile senior guard who became even more of a complete player, the Red Knights generated a school record 22-win season and achieved even more goals on their list and orchestrated a successful run through all of the state playoffs.
"I don't think it's completely settled in with all of us yet, I think we're still kind of like almost a little bit in shock," she said. "But we made goal cards at the beginning of the season and it was pretty much on all of our cards, so it's just really cool to check that off our list of things to do, and it's something I've always wanted to do at least once in my high school career, so I'm really thankful and happy that we got to achieve that, get all the way there and win it this year."
For her efforts, Barton has been named as the Times All-North Most Valuable player representing the Frontier League.
"I'm very grateful, it's super awesome and an honor to be named that," she said. "I think that there's a lot of very great players in the north country, so it's just really cool to receive that award."
"She is very well-rounded, and not just as an athlete, but as a human being in general," LaFargeville coach Zack Steiner said. "I've told her this many times and talking about her at our sports banquet, but I thought that her leadership this year was one of her best qualities outside of just looking at the stat sheet. She's come a long way with just being such a positive leader and just doing things the right way. She's been a great leader for us."
Barton diversified her game even further, developing into more of a facilitator on the court in setting up her teammates, rather then primarily shooting the ball.
"I think that this year, especially, a lot of the girls went to open gyms over the summer, a lot of the girls travel-teamed over the summer," Barton said. "So I think that trusting my teammates and their abilities really helped us get to the point where we got to the point where we ended, I think that really just helped us. I mean, I always have trust in my teammates, but I think this year a lot of them really stepped up in their roles, and they had a lot of key moments and parts to why we made it that far and why we won."
This season, Barton averaged 25.6 points per game, as well as totaling team highs in rebounds (151), assists (78) and steals (135).
"Thankfully this year, I think she got to play off the ball a little bit more because her sister Margie stepped up into more of a ball-handling role," Steiner said. "I mean she still had the ball in her hands quite a bit, she's a ball-dominant guard, she was our point guard, shooting guard most of the year. But I think her whole makeup just changed I feel this year, she took a lot less threes this season and tried to get to the basket a lot more.
"Because she's a good free-throw shooter, so she was able to get inside and draw contact and get to the line quite a bit. "She's a great finisher, especially through contact with tough angles and tough driving lanes, she can just finish really well."
Barton finished with 1,813 career points in four varsity seasons, including her freshman season at Immaculate Heart Central before transferring to her hometown of LaFargeville before her sophomore campaign.
This led to LaFargeville generating even more success this season, as following the regular season in which it won the league's "C-D" Division title with a 12-0 record, it secured the "D" Division's playoff title for the second straight season.
"It definitely wasn't easy," Emeline said of the team's postseason run. "All the teams that we played obviously were all very good, they didn't want their season to end, we didn't want our season to end, so it was just really physical and I feel like they were defensively-minded games."
After defeating Copenhagen in a sectional semifinal, the Red Knights outlasted another division foe in Sackets Harbor, 54-35, to claim its second consecutive Section 3 title.
LaFargeville took another big step when it defeated South Kortright/Andes, 56-47, to win a state quarterfinal at Tompkins-Cortland Community College to become the first basketball team from the school to reach a state final four.
Undaunted, the Red Knights topped Section 10 champion Chateaugay, 56-41, to win an all-north country state semifinal held at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy. Barton once again led the way, this time pouring in 38 points, including faring 14-for-27 from the field.
The next day, LaFargeville achieved the ultimate as it outfought Section 2's Northville in a 43-37 decision to claim the Class D state championship on March 21.
"Northville was really, really physical and obviously they're all great players," she said. "I think that in the past and at that point of the season, we had seen pretty much every defense, so we've become pretty accustomed to what plays to run and how to set up in our offense. So I think just getting to play in all different types of games in different types of atmospheres really helped us, especially against a team like them who were very physical and an overly strong team."
"She was just engaged the entire time as a leader," Steiner said. "And again, she's always led by example, but I thought her vocal leadership came out so much her senior year, it was awesome and it was great to see."
Barton considered the who season experience "special," especially the support the team received by the small-town community.
"I think that with it being a small community when things like this happen, it just brings everybody together and gives people a reason to get out of their house, go watch a game, just gives people some excitement. And I think that's what we did and I'm really grateful that we got to do that and I hope that everyone continues to show support over the next few years, too. That was just awesome to see everyone."
LaFargeville also benefitted from the chemistry between Barton and younger sister and sophomore Margie Barton.
"We obviously played together since we were little, whether that be in the backyard or little league games to travel league games, we've always just played together," Emeline said. "So I think that knowing our tendencies as players really helped each other out, like knowing when she's going to shoot, or knowing when she's going to cut to the basket, I think little things like that and just understanding each other really helped us as well."
While Emeline supplied 25 points and 11 rebounds in the final, Margie contributed 11 points, including a trio of 3-pointers, including one decisive three in the closing minutes of the game.
Among those also seriously considered for All-North MVP honors was Immaculate Heart Central senior Abby Bombard, who was selected as the league's "AA-A-B" Division most valuable player and guided her team to the sectional semifinals in Class D.
Emeline Barton has committed to attend Houghton University in western New York, which plays at the Division III level.
She'll play basketball at the Christian-based school and hopes to one day pursue a career in the medical field.
"And I do plan to play basketball there," she said. "When I went on my visit, I just really loved all the players and the coaching staff, they're just like very nice and they have a strong program, so I think that was just the best fit for me out of my options. It's really cool, I'll get to play basketball, further my education and further my faith, so that's not something that many people get to do, and I'm grateful I'll get to do it."
Continue reading...
