Basketball Recap: Wallkill Comes Up Short

Wallkill was the 60-48 winner over Johnson City when they last played one another back in January of 2024, but their luck changed this time around. The Wallkill Panthers fell to the Johnson City Wildcats 53-47.

Despite the loss, Wallkill still got an impressive performance from Zoe Mesuch, who dropped a double-double on 25 points and 11 rebounds. That was a full 53.2% of Wallkill's points, marking the 11th time in a row she's posted more than a third of the team's points. Another player making a difference was Gabriella Gualtiere, who earned nine points and eight boards.

Johnson City was led to victory by Emma Phelan and Aliya Hankey. Phelan went 8 for 20 en route to 20 points and five assists, while Hankey dropped a double-double on 18 points and 12 rebounds. Hankey continues to improve, besting her previous point total in each of the last four games she's played. Annabel Burke was another key player, putting up six points along with 12 boards and five assists.

Wallkill now has a losing record at 5-6. As for Johnson City, their victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 9-2.

Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Wallkill will square off against Saugerties at 5:45 p.m. on Friday. Wallkill is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 54.3 points per game this season. As for Johnson City, a feisty cat fight is on tap when the Johnson City Wildcats challenge the Union-Endicott Tigers at 7:15 p.m. on Thursday.