TROY, N.Y. (WROC) — Despite storming back in the third quarter, the Li'l Irish came up short in the Class AA state title game, falling to Baldwin (Section VIII) 50-48. The Li'l Irish's late-game execution proved to be their demise. Aquinas scored just five points in the fourth quarter. They had a trio of chances to even the score or take the lead in the final 90 seconds, but they came up empty each time. "We know who we are, so we knew coming in here that we were going to fight the fight. And our girls fought the fight," said Aquinas head coach Mark Loria. "I couldn't be more proud of my kids and the fight that they showed today against a very, very good team." Baldwin star junior Alyssa Polonia scored 16 points by herself in the first quarter, sinking four three-pointers, as the Bruins jumped out to a 21-12 lead. Polonia sat on the bench for most of the second quarter nursing a pair of fouls, but the teams played that period to an 11-11 draw and Aquinas still trailed by nine at the break. The Irish dominated the third quarter, outscoring Baldwin 20-7. Aquinas continuously was able to drive to the basket and O'Toole canned a three in the final seconds to push AQ in front 43-39 heading to the fourth. "I think we got in a rhythm. I think when you get Molly O'Toole and Loren Green going in a rhythm, that's where they're going to excel," said Loria. "That's what got us back in the game. It actually got us up and I thought we were one or two shots away from really cementing this, but it didn't happen." Baldwin scored the first four points of the final period, but Green answered with a three-pointer midway through the quarter to put Aquinas back on top. Samiyah Wright scored on the next possession for the Irish, but those would be the last Aquinas points of the season. Baldwin held AQ scoreless over the final 3:38 of the game. Monique Echols had the finisher on a fast break with just under 90 seconds left to give Baldwin their first lead of the fourth quarter at 49-48. The next two AQ possessions were a turnover and a miss. Baldwin split a pair at the line with 13 seconds left and led by two. Aquinas got a three-point look in the final seconds, but could not hit. Baldwin had possession after the rebound went out of bounds and was able to connect on an inbounds pass that drained the rest of the clock. Polonia only scored two more points the rest of the game after the first-quarter explosion, but still led all scorers with 18 points. She was the only Baldwin player in double figures. O'Toole and Green each scored 15 points for Aquinas. Wright ended up with five points and a game-high 16 rebounds for the Irish. The loss was a bittersweet conclusion to a challenging year for Loria, who suffered a heart attack in May of 2024. "I got really sick, I had a heart attack, I didn't know if I was going to coach," said Loria. "I came back and every day was really hard, very difficult for me. It's still hard. But to be able to do this and do it with this team, I'm really blessed to be a part of it. But it's not about me, I've got kids that are hurting right now and I just want to go love on them and just tell them how appreciative I am of them and what their effort is." "I can't wait in the next 10 to 15 years to see where these girls are going to be, because they're going to be successful in life," Loria added. "They've been through a lot more than this, so this is just one of those learning moments that we've all got to go through. It's sports. Aquinas was looking for the program's first-ever state title, but will have to settle for a runner-up finish and a 24-2 record. ...read more read less