The Highland Huskies had their best season since 2018 this year, winning the Section 9 Class B championship, and reaching the New York State Public High School Athletic Association subregional before being eliminated.

Their long-term leader Grace Koehler was named the Section 9 Class B player of the year and was one of two Highland players named among the section’s Top 50 girls’ basketball players.

Samantha Calahan also was named as a Section 9 Top 50 player.
The Marlboro Dukes had their strongest season in four years, and their only senior, Hannah Polumbo, was one of two Dukes named to the section’s Top 50.

Polumbo made the best of the top-seeded Dukes’ playoff appearance as she grabbed her 1,000th career rebound in the Dukes’ semifinal victory over Saugerties and scored her 1,000th career point in their sectional championship loss to the Red Hook Raiders.

Junior guard Gabby Murphy, a four-year starter, was also named a Top 50 player.

The Wallkill Panthers won their third straight Section 9 championship and rewarded last year with three players being named among the section’s top 50 players.

Standout guard, and the Panthers newly minted all-time leading scorer Zoe Mesuch was named Section 9 Class AA player of the year, and Wallkill coach A.J. Higby was named Class AA coach of the year, after coaching the Panthers to their third straight appearance in the New York State Public high School Athletic Association regionals.

The section honored two of the Panthers’ key seniors, twin sisters Alex and Sam Dembinsky, who will go onto play college basketball together at SUNY Cortland.