Corinth, 20-0, girls basketball juggernaut

By Zander Frost, Chronicle Staff Writer

The Corinth Girls Basketball team defeated Hartford, 62-47, to complete an undefeated, dominating regular season.

The Adirondack League Champions have a record of 20 wins, no losses. Recent victories include 62-18 over Granville, 65-18 over Lake George, and 70-25 over Waterford-Halfmoon.

Sectionals are up next, starting after seeding this week.

Coach Kelly Hoertkorn told The Chronicle, “I just have a great group of girls who really know, understand their role and the importance of playing selfless basketball…

“They look for each other so well. Just their work ethic, their dedication to caring more about the team success over any individual accolades.”

But there have been individual accolades, too. Senior Maddie DeLisle recently scored her 1,000th point.

Maddie told The Chronicle, “Winning the League Championship was easily my proudest basketball accomplishment because I was able to do it with a group that meant the most to me and a coach I couldn’t be happier to play for…”

“I am also proud to say I am part of the 1,000 point club and without my teammates and coaches that would not be possible,” she added.

Coach Hoertkorn said, “She did it in not much over three years, because last year with COVID, we had a shortened season as a team, and hers was even shorter. She only played in seven games…She’s been on varsity since she was a freshman.”

Sophomore Emily Dingmon “could easily be averaging 20, 30 points a game,” Coach Hoertkorn said. “She had a week where we had three games and I think she had a triple double in each game. She’s the kid who will just do anything and everything.”

The coach said her players “understood what it takes to win and [want] to do that first over any individual stuff, which you don’t always get. Especially when you have multiple players on a team who can be quote-unquote, the superstar.”

Maddie DeLisle, the 1,000-point scorer, said, “Practices are harder than games so when it comes down to playing a game it comes easier to us. We are pushed everyday.”

“Huge shout-out to coach,” said Maddie. “She’s the building block of this team and none of us would be where we are without her. We play for one another but most importantly, coach first.”

Last year, Covid restrictions meant Corinth couldn’t play in the Adirondack League — they had to play exclusively Saratoga County Schools.

Coach Hoertkorn says, “I almost think that it helped us because…we were playing South Glens Falls in the Foothills Council. So it taught some of my younger ones they had to play more physical games.”

Hoertkorn was the JV coach for years before becoming varsity coach.

“My three seniors that I have this year, I realized I’ve coached longer than any other player I had, because a couple of them I had on JV when they were in eighth grade or ninth grade, and then I moved up their sophomore year to varsity,” she said.

Coach Hoertkorn said the future is bright beyond this season.

“I hope so,” she said. “Absolutely. Like I said, one of my leaders is a sophomore. And then she has a couple classmates who, again, put the time in and are just true workhorses…

“And then I have another eighth grader who’s on varsity this year already. And she plays AAU in the off-season and plays year round.”

Coach Hoertkorn said the girls “know that this is now the standard that we’ve set and they want to reach this.”

What’s next for Maddie who will graduate in June? “I will continue my education at Siena,” she said. “I will be a pre-law major with the intentions of becoming a lawyer later on. I will always love basketball and I hope to coach one day.” She is not planning to play in college.

Her advice to teammates? Maddie says, “To the next girls, it goes by quick so cherish every moment you can. The hard work and dedication pays off. Don’t take anything for granted. Believe in yourself and each other, anything is possible. I wish you all the best of luck.”

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