Sherman head coach Emily Eckwahl leaps into the arms of assistant coach Joel Fisher as Wildcats Teagan Gratto (14), Kelsey Wagner (12) and Reagan Bates (2) storm the court at the end of Sherman’s Class D Far West Regional victory last weekend at Rush-Henrietta High School. P-J photo by Scott Reagle

Sherman has faced its fair share of high-scoring guards this season with mixed reviews.

Randolph’s Payton Morrison and Southwestern’s Reece Beaver scored 22 and 27 points, respectively, in back-to-back wins against the Wildcats to open the season. Panama’s Mandy Brink scored 26 points in an early February victory over the Wildcats.

Sherman’s girls may face their biggest test this evening.

It will come in the form of Kayla Campbell, the 5-foot-10 senior point guard of the Franklin Purple Devils.

The Wildcats will take on the Section IV champions at 6:15 tonight in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class D semifinals at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy.

Kayla Campbell is averaging 26.2 points, 9.4 rebounds, 5.2 steals and 5.2 assists per game for Franklin, which enters with a 22-1 overall record and a No. 2 ranking by the New York State Sportswriters Association.

The Purple Devils beat Marathon 51-36 in the Section IV championship game before a 61-17 dismantling of Section XI’s Smithtown Christian in last weekend’s regional championship game.

In that contest, Kayla Campbell had 27 points and nine rebounds while her twin sister, Marissa, had 7 points, 17 rebounds and eight assists.

Sherman enters today’s game on a four-game postseason winning streak after losing its regular-season finale to Silver Creek.

The fourth-ranked Wildcats beat Clymer 45-38 in the Section VI quarterfinals before a dramatic 47-44 victory over Panama in the semifinals. Sherman then clinched its 12th sectional title with a 59-37 win over Pine Valley before taking down Section V champion Batavia-Notre Dame 35-29 in last weekend’s Far West Regional.

Junior Paige Gratto, the Wildcats’ leading scorer, has taken her game to the next level in the postseason. She is averaging 10.9 points per game overall on the season, but that number has risen to 18 per game in the playoffs.

Junior Hayden Fisher is averaging 10.5 points and 4.6 rebounds per game while senior point guard Jenna Fisher is averaging 10.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 3.2 steals per game.

Senior Kaitlyn Lindsey and junior Leighanne Swan round out the Sherman starting lineup, combining for 7.4 points and 9.5 rebounds per game.

For Franklin, Marissa Campbell is averaging 12.5 points, 8.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 3.6 steals per game; seventh-grader Shannon Kingsbury is averaging 8.1 points and 2.4 steals per game; and senior Meredith Shivers is averaging 4.1 rebounds per game.

COPENHANGEN VS. HARTFORD

Tonight’s 8 p.m. semifinal will feature Section III’s Copenhagen Golden Knights (22-2) taking on Section II’s Hartford Tanagers (20-4).

Copenhagen, the top-ranked team in the state, won its first Section III title in three tries by beating Poland 58-40 in their championship game before topping Section X’s Heuvelton 45-34 last weekend to reach the final four.

Raegan Dalrymple, a 5-foot-11 senior forward, leads the Golden Knights with 16.7 points, 9.9 rebounds, 5.0 steals and 2.3 blocked shots per game, while 6-foot senior center Charli Carroll is averaging 16.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.4 steals and 3.0 blocked shots per game. Junior guard Aubree Smykla averages 10.3 points, 5.2 assists and 4.3 steals per game; junior guard Alyssa Fitzpatrick averages 6.3 points, 4.5 assists, 3.9 steals and 3.8 rebonds per game; and sophomore guard Samantha Stokely averages 4.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.2 steals per game.

Hartford, No. 3 in the state, advanced to the regionals with a 73-63 sectional final win over Saratoga Central Catholic before beating Section VII’s Boquet Valley 57-51 to reach the final four.

Senior forward Karlee Nims leads the Tanagers at 18.7 points and 12.3 rebounds per game while senior guard Gabrielle McFarren averages 18.0 points, 4.0 assists and 3.2 steals per game. Sophomore forward Alawnah Dunda averages 8.5 points; and senior guard/forward Isabella French averages 6.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.3 steals per game.

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

The winners of today’s semifinals will match up at 8:45 p.m. Saturday at Hudson Valley CC.

Individual tickets for each session at the McDonough Sports Complex are $10 plus an additional $1.50 service fee., and only available online. Cash sales will not be available at the gate. The NFHS Network is the official streaming partner of the NYSPHSAA state championships. Games will be streamed and available with a subscription.