Albany downs Providence for AA Championship

NSO- George Bailey

Paige Meyer didn’t let a subpar shooting performance keep her down. She put her Albany teammates on her shoulders with a state championship on the line.

Meyer finished just short of a triple-double (20 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists), helping the fourth-ranked Huskies pull away for a 57-43 victory over No. 5-rated Providence Academy in the Class 2A finals Friday at Target Center.

Meyer ignited a late 17-5 run over a four-minute stretch with the Huskies (24-1) holding a slim 35-32 lead with just under six minutes left. She only had two points in a first half, when both teams struggled offensively in different stretches.

Albany forced five turnovers in the first six minutes and raced to a 13-2 advantage. Junior forward Danica Findley had five points in the quick start.

The Counts sisters — 6-0 sophomore Grace and 5-11 junior Maria — controlled the rest of the first half to get Providence Academy back in the game. Grace Counts had seven of her nine points and Maria added a basket as the Lions (22-2) used a 15-4 run  — including the last 10 points of the half –, to pull within 18-17.

The sisters also combined for 13 rebounds and blocked four shots each in the opening half. Grace wound up with 14 points, 13 rebounds and four blocked shots while Maria finished with seven points, nine rebounds and seven rejections