CANANDAIGUA – Sofia Falleti proved to be too much for Sherman to handle Saturday evening.

Notre Dame-Batavia’s junior forward scored 21 points to lead the Fighting Irish past the Wildcats 47-40 in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class D Far West Regional at Finger Lakes Community College.

“She was definitely the toughest matchup for us,” Sherman head coach Emily Eckwahl said.

The win sends Notre Dame into next weekend’s state final four at Hudson Valley Community College. The Section V champions will take on Section III’s Copenhagen or Section IV’s Stamford in the 6 p.m. semifinal Thursday in Troy. Those teams will play for that spot at 10 a.m. today at Visions Veterans Memorial Arena in Binghamton.

For Sherman – without a senior on its roster – the season ends a victory short of the Wildcats’ first trip to the final four since losing the title game in 2022.

“It never feels good to lose, but the one silver lining is that we didn’t have to say goodbye to anybody,” Eckwahl said. “There’s a good chance we can see them again next year.”

Sherman led 6-5 at the end of a sloppy first quarter Saturday that featured just four field goals and 13 turnovers between the teams.

Jayne Chambers gave the Wildcats an 8-7 lead with 5:54 left in the second quarter, but Notre Dame answered with a 14-6 run to end the period that included five baskets from Falleti, who finished with 12 points in the second quarter.

“We were just outsized down there in the second quarter,” Eckwahl said.

Sherman went 0 for 10 from 3-point range in the opening 16 minutes.

The Fighting Irish’s lead grew to as many as 15 on Gianna Falleti’s 3-pointer and a pair of free throws from Sofia Falleti midway through the third quarter, but the Wildcats answered with a 12-0 run that included a pair of 3-pointers from Baya Oehlbeck.

“We were certainly not surprised, these girls have been down a lot before and came back,” Eckwahl said of her team’s fight. “Everyone on our bench knew we still had a shot if there was time on the clock.”

After a foul shot from Notre Dame’s Penny Jo Thompson, Sherman’s Ava-Kay Irwin sank her only 3-pointer of the game to make it a one-point game.

“Emmersen Crawford did a really nice job and when they adjusted to her, Baya and Ava had a nice balanced scoring attack in the second half,” Eckwahl said.

But Sofia Falleti scored the final three points of the period to give Notre Dame a four-point lead entering the final quarter.

“We had a rotation of three or four girls ready to pretty much attempt to double team her most of the game,” Eckwahl said, “but two of those three got in foul trouble early in the first half.”

Oehlbeck made it a two-point game with 6:45 remaining before a 9-0 run gave the Fighting Irish an 11-point lead with 3:26 left.

Again the Wildcats battled back, making it a four-point game with 1:24 remaining on Oehlbeck’s final 3-pointer of the evening, but Quinn Boardman converted a three-point play with 20 seconds left and Sherman went scoreless over its final three possessions to send the Fighting Irish to the Capital Region next weekend.

“We got to within four for the second time. It definitely took the wind out of our sails a bit,” Eckwahl said of the three-point play. “But we were playing high-risk, high-reward and when you do that sometimes people get loose.”

NOTES: Boardman had 10 points and Shirley Thompson had 9 for Notre Dame, which shot 18 of 42 from the field, including 4 of 14 from 3-point range, and turned the ball over 20 times. … Emmersen Crawford had 15 points and five steals while Oehlbeck had 15 points, three assists and three rebounds for Sherman, which shot 16 of 53 from the field, including 5 of 18 from 3-point range, and turned the ball over 18 times. … The 7:45 p.m. state semifinal at Hudson Valley CC on Thursday will feature Section X’s Chateaugay and Section XI’s Smithtown Christian.

SHERMAN (40)

Gable 1 0 2, Emory 1 0 3, Chambers 1 0 2, Crawford 6 3 15, Palmatier 0 0 0, Kranz 0 0 0, Oehlbeck 6 0 15, Irwin 1 0 3. Totals 16 3 40.

NOTRE DAME-BATAVIA (47)

Milliman 0 0 0, GFalleti 2 0 6, Fitch 0 0 0, Ferris 0 0 0, PThompson 0 1 1, SThompson 4 0 9, Boardman 3 3 10, SFalleti 9 3 21. Totals 18 7 47.

3-point goals-Emory, Oehlbeck 3, Irwin, GFalleti 2, SThompson, Boardman.

Sherman 6 8 17 9 – 40

Notre Dame-Batavia 5 16 14 12 – 47