A New Era for Kingston High Girls Basketball

Kingston High’s girls basketball team is experiencing a significant transformation this season, with junior guard Victoria Fall acknowledging that the Tigers are having more fun than they did last year. This sentiment was evident after another impressive win on Saturday, January 3, when the team defeated Onteora 71-35 at the Kate Walton Field House.

With this victory, Kingston has now won four games in a row and sits at a 7-3 record at the midway point of the 2025-26 season. Last year, under the guidance of veteran coach Steve Garner, the team struggled through a rare losing season (6-14), which included an 0-8 record in the Orange County Interscholastic Athletic Association (OCIAA).

Fall had a standout performance, scoring 32 points, with 30 of those coming in the first three quarters. She then sat out much of the fourth quarter in the one-sided contest against the visiting Eagles (4-3) from the Mid-Hudson Athletic League (MHAL). The game was part of five Coaches vs. Cancer/BACNY Tournament matchups between OCIAA and MHAL schools held on the G. Warren Kias floor throughout the day on January 3.

Fall hit back-to-back 3-pointers in the final minute of the third quarter, during which the Tigers outscored Onteora 27-9 to build an insurmountable 59-29 lead heading into the final quarter. The Tigers’ defensive pressure forced the Eagles into 40 turnovers, leading to a series of easy layups for the hosts.

“I think more of my points came from my teammates sharing the ball,” Fall said. “We started off not as good as I hoped we would start off, but then we picked it right up in the second quarter. We were able to make things happen. Everyone was cutting off the ball and people were moving. I feel that’s how I got my open shots and I attacked and was more aggressive towards the hoop.”

The opening quarter was slow for both teams. After Onteora’s Erin Kothe gave the visitors a 2-0 lead in the first minute, Kingston missed its first 11 shots from the field and was 0-for-4 from the foul line. With Kingston still scoreless halfway through the first quarter, one exasperated fan yelled “Come on guys, wake up” in a break in the action.

A half minute later, junior guard Kyrah Cannie finally broke the ice for the Tigers with a pair of free throws to tie the game at 2-2 with 3:28 remaining in the quarter. Cannie’s two foul shots were the start of a 12-0 Tigers’ run that opened up a 12-2 lead. Fall scored eight points in the run, and sophomore forward Gianna Banks, who scored 22 points, added a layup in the spurt.

Banks’ traditional three-point play gave the Tigers a 17-7 lead with 6:34 left in the second quarter. Onteora’s Julia Young scored seven points in a 10-2 spurt to pull the visitors to within 19-17 halfway through the second quarter before Kingston opened up a 32-18 lead with a 13-1 run. Fall had 11 of those 13 points.

Kingston poured it on with its defense in the third quarter to extend the lead to 30 points, and Garner substituted liberally in the final period. “Our trap, when it’s really tight, allows the back line to help and we take away passes right away,” Fall said. “Then we use our team speed to make fast breaks happen at the other end.”

Fall said this year’s squad has matured with more experience, and she’s hoping for a good second half of the season. Garner said the Tigers’ press was effective again in the easy win over Onteora, but he said his players need to cut down on their silly fouls. While he was pleased with the scoring output from Fall and Banks, he said Cannie and junior guard Maygan Carney also deserved credit for their play even though they each were held to two points.

“Kyrah really spearheads our press,” Garner said. “She’s getting the steals. Up in Amsterdam, she had 10 steals in each game and she probably had five or six in the third quarter today. She’s just reading and doing a good job on that. And Maygan Carney with her hustle gave us a lift, too.”

“We’re putting it together and I’m really excited for the next half of the season,” Fall said.

Young and Vivienne Lamb led Onteora with 10 points each. Kingston will travel to Monroe-Woodbury for an OCIAA game on Friday, January 9.