Photography

The Comsewogue bats spoke loudly in the bottom of the second inning when Laurel Chiaino, with bases loaded, drove in three runs with a stand-up double, followed by Emma Shorts driving in two more to put the Warriors out front 9-2. This lead, however, wouldn’t last long.

The visiting Sharks of Eastport-South Manor rallied in the top of the third with seven runs of their own to make it a new game at 9-all. Comsewogue showed discipline at the plate, laying off several pitches and drawing the walks to inch ahead to lead by five runs in the bottom of the third, but ESM wouldn’t go quietly, mustering another surge in the closing innings to retie the game at 16-all.

The youngest player on the Comsewogue roster made the difference when seventh grader Adrianna Napolitano, with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, ripped a single and drove in the winning run, securing the Warriors the 17-16 victory in this League VII contest on April 3.

Comsewogue will hit the road with a pair of away games before returning home Wednesday, April 12, to face the Rocky Point Eagles. The first pitch is scheduled for 10 a.m.

— Photos by Bill Landon

The Lady Royals of Port Jefferson, the Suffolk Class C Long Island Championship title holders, advanced to the New York State semifinal round, where they matched up against Section IX champion Millbrook at Farmingdale State College.

Port Jeff faced a stout defense as Millbrook dominated the boards, converting missed shots into points while containing the potent Royal offensive senior corp of Lola Idir, Amy Whitman and Alexa Ayotte to just 27 points between them. 

Millbrook stretched their legs and outpaced the Royals, cruising to a 61-30 victory in the Saturday, March 11 contest.

Atop the leaderboard in Suffolk County’s scoring, Idir finished her varsity career in 4th place countywide, according to Newsday, with 70 field goals, 84 free throws and 83 triples while averaging 21­­.5 points per game. 

Port Jefferson concludes its 2022-23 campaign undefeated in their division at 12-0, with an impressive 16-3 overall record.

— Photos by Bill Landon

It was all for the bragging rights during the overall Section XI championship when the undefeated Shoreham-Wading River Wildcats (23-0), the small school winner, squared off against large school champion Walt Whitman at Island Federal Credit Arena at Stony Brook University on March 4. 

The Wildcats trailed by two points to open the second half. However, they struggled to land their shots, allowing Whitman to slowly edge ahead for the 50-42 victory, handing SWR its first loss of the season. 

Sophie Costello led the Wildcats with 12 points. GraceAnn Leonard followed with 10, and Annie Sheehan and Juliana Mahan banked seven points each. Teammates Colleen Ohrtman, Haylie Abrams and Anabel Keegan netted two points apiece. 

Shoreham-Wading River, the Suffolk Class A title holder, lives to fight another day, advancing to the Long Island Championship round (regional finals) on Saturday, March 11, when they’ll face Manhasset (23-1) at Farmingdale State College. Game time is slated for 2 p.m.

— Photos by Bill Landon

Shoreham-Wading River survived a late game surge from the Eagles of West Babylon when junior Juliana Mahan scored from the paint to put her team ahead 53-51 in the final seconds of the Suffolk Class A semifinal on Wednesday, Feb. 22, at Centereach High School.

West Babylon had the final possession of the game. But with three seconds left, the Eagles could not get a shot off, sending the Wildcats to the county championship.

Mahan led the Wildcats in scoring with 18 points. GraceAnn Leonard followed with 11, and teammates Colleen Ohrtman and Annie Sheehan each netted eight points.

— Photos by Bill Landon

The Mustangs of Mount Sinai broke out to an early lead, protecting a seven-point advantage to open the second half and managing to keep the Amityville Warriors at bay the rest of the way in the Suffolk Class A semifinal at Longwood High School.

Mount Sinai senior Derrek Shechter led the way in scoring for the Warriors with three triples, four field goals and three from the line for 20 points in the 58-50 victory Feb. 21.

Teammates Dominic Pennzello followed with 13 points, Drew Feinstein netted 12, and Chris Paz banked 10 to punch their ticket to the championship final round on Saturday, Feb. 25, at Stony Brook University when they will face Kings Park. Gametime is at 5 p.m.

— Photos by Bill Landon

Photo by Michael Hall

A GLACIAL GIFT

Michael Hall of Port Jefferson snapped this photo of Conscience Bay in Setauket with his iPhone 12 on Feb. 1. He writes, “My wife Christina and I were walking in the northern, wooded section of Frank Melville Memorial Park on this cool winter day. The tide was so low we were able to walk into the tidal grasses. The layered colors of this erratic boulder caught my eye.”

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Ward Melville senior point guard Julia Greek made history during the Suffolk Class AA quarterfinal playoff game between Ward Melville and Centereach, scoring her 1,000th career point before her home crowd on Saturday, Feb. 18.

The game’s outcome was a toss-up as both teams deadlocked at 45-45 with 1:49 left in regulation. But the Patriots were successful in containing the Cougars’ last-minute surge. 

Ahead by three points in the final 30 seconds, Centereach had no choice but to foul Greek to stop the clock. The senior made the Cougars pay at the charity stripe, securing a 54-46 victory and leading her team to the semifinal round.

Greek again led the way in scoring for the Patriots with four field goals, two triples and eight free throws for 22 points on the day. Grace Balocca added 15, and Catie Edson netted eight.

Centereach freshman Hayley Torres topped the scoring chart for the Cougars with 19 points. Sophomore Meaghan Grieco netted 15, and senior Alexandra Madrigal added six. Centereach concluded its 2022-23 campaign with a respectable 12-8 record.

The third-seeded Patriots will face second-seeded Walt Whitman on Wednesday, Feb. 22, at Longwood High School. Gametime is set for noon. Tickets for the game can be purchased at gofan.co/app/school/NYSPHSAAXI.

— Photos by Bill Landon