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Smithtown West

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Kayla Kosubinsky races to the ground ball. Photo by Desirée Keegan

The Smithtown West girls’ lacrosse team walked onto the Dowling Sports Complex field Tuesday donning shirts that said “one team, one fight.”

Although senior midfielder Natalia Lynch stole the show by scoring six goals, it’s what her team had been through all season that made the season special.

Natalia Lynch grabs possession off the draw. Photo by Desirée Keegan
Natalia Lynch grabs possession off the draw. Photo by Desirée Keegan

The Bulls never made it to the Suffolk County finals, and although they were the No. 1 seed with a near perfect record, they were overlooked. Smithtown West battled a tough No. 3-seed West Islip team — the only opponent the Bulls lost to in the regular season — and remained neck-and-neck to the end, when the more experienced team battled back to come out on top, 9-8.

“It was amazing — they played phenomenal all season,” Smithtown West head coach Carie Bodo said of the run her girls had. “We played them much better than we did the first time we beat them. We knew, as much as we were the No. 1 seed, that we were the underdogs because they’ve already been here four years in a row. They know how to play this game.”

Lynch tallied a hat trick in the first half with her second goal off an assist from her best friend and longtime teammate Mackenzie Heldberg.

Jessica English defends against a West Islip attack. Photo by Desirée Keegan
Jessica English defends against a West Islip attack. Photo by Desirée Keegan

“It’s been unreal since first grade, playing with someone as amazing as she is — it definitely made the game easier,” Heldberg said of Lynch. “We just had a special connection on the field that not everyone else has and she’s made me so successful and brings out the best lacrosse player in me.”

Also scoring for the Bulls in the first half were junior midfielder Kayla Kosubinsky and junior attack Chelsea Witteck. Senior converted-goalkeeper Marissa D’Amico made big stops between the pipes to keep the score 5-5 at the end of the first half.

“We did what we thought we needed to do,” Bodo said. “We covered certain people. We knew that if we played them tight, they’d be forced to make tough shots and miss the cage because we swarm them so good, so the defense did an amazing job. We had opportunities at the end to come up with the goal, but we just didn’t come up with it.”

Lynch gained possession off the draw, like she had done all night, to open the second half, and after passing it to Heldberg, received a feed from her friend in front of the cage and dumped in her fourth goal of the game.

Chelsea Witteck leads the team in celebration of her goal. Photo by Desirée Keegan
Chelsea Witteck leads the team in celebration of her goal. Photo by Desirée Keegan

D’Amico made back-to-back saves after a West Islip goal to maintain the stalemate, and on a diving play, Lynch fired her fifth goal of the game. She won possession off the next draw, but wouldn’t impact the play again after being sidelined for two minutes, with 2:21 left to play.

“She played an amazing game,” Bodo said of Lynch. “It was a killer, she got that penalty at the end. She played a great game.”

Witteck netted her second goal of the game off an assist from Heldberg, for the only other score of the second half, to put the team up 8-6 with 7:03 left in the game, but West Islip rallied back with three unanswered goals for the 9-8 lead with 1:24 left to play. The Lions raced up and down the field until time expired to seal the victory.

“I’m super proud of them,” Bodo said of her team. “For us it was a win. We were ranked No. 3 in the preseason and Newsday didn’t even rank us, MSG Varsity doesn’t ever give us anything, so no one thought we would do anything. For us, we did it for ourselves. We didn’t do it for Newsday’s publicity or MSG Varsity’s publicity; we worked hard all season to prove it to ourselves.”

The players said they were proud of how far they’ve come.

Mackenzie Heldberg charges toward the cage. Photo by Desirée Keegan
Mackenzie Heldberg charges toward the cage. Photo by Desirée Keegan

“The loss hurt a lot, but for a team who never got much credit for anything we did — just making it to counties and playing a hell of a game against a team as talented as West Islip, there is nothing to hold our heads down for,” Heldberg said. “Coming here and experiencing this for the first time in Smithtown West girls lacrosse history was truly something amazing and something to be proud of.”

Although she, Lynch and D’Amico, along with three other senior nonstarters will be leaving the team, Bodo is excited for the future now that the Bulls are starting to move in the right direction and continues to make playoff strides each season. Kosubinsky said that after all of the doubt, Smithtown West lacrosse showed what it’s really made of.

“I know I’ve never seen Smithtown West girls lacrosse play with so much heart, and even with a loss, I’ve never been so proud of my team,” Kosubinsky said. “We had an amazing season and every single person contributed to that. Tonight we walked off the field with our heads held high because we know we played our hearts out.”

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Catcher DL Rodriguez and outfielder Nick Curcio hug it out in celebration of their7-0 Class AA semifinal win over Smithtown West that will send them to the Suffolk County finals. Photo by Bill Landon

By Bill Landon

Northport players hug it out in celebration of their7-0 Class AA semifinal win over Smithtown West that will send them to the Suffolk County finals. Photo by Bill Landon
Catcher DL Rodriguez and outfielder Nick Curcio hug it out in celebration of their7-0 Class AA semifinal win over Smithtown West that will send them to the Suffolk County finals. Photo by Bill Landon

Northport’s No. 8-seeded baseball team blanked No. 5 Smithtown West, 7-0, to advance to the Class AA county championship behind pitching ace Nick Palmerini, who shut down the Bulls by throwing six shutout innings to lead his team to victory Wednesday.

Senior Joe Stockman started off swinging for the Tigers, as the shortstop ripped the ball down the right sideline for a stand-up double in the first at bat. Junior pitcher and third baseman Jake McCarthy drew a walk, and junior second baseman George Sutherland stepped into the batter’s box. A passed ball at the plate advanced both runners into scoring position, and Sutherland smacked the ball through the gap to bring Stockman home for an early lead.

Smithtown West had several opportunities, but stranded all runners on base.

Nick Palmerini pitched six shutout innings. Photo by Bill Landon
Nick Palmerini pitched six shutout innings. Photo by Bill Landon

Again, Stockman’s bat spoke as he went drove the ball to the opposite side of the field for his second double of the game. Junior outfielder Frankie Stola was up next, and was hit by a pitch and sent to first base.

“The rain delay wasn’t a distraction — we stayed focused, we had a great practice yesterday,” said Stockman of the game being pushed from Tuesday to Wednesday. “[Smithtown West] a good team and great competitors, but we had a great pitcher on the mound both days and we did what we needed to do to get the win.”

Just like in the bottom of the first, Smithtown West’s passed ball pitch put both runners in scoring position in the third. Sutherland had a base hit, plating Stockman, and junior outfielder Matt Lindley found the gap to score Stola for a 3-0 advantage. After Lindley stole second, senior pitcher and first baseman Dan Heller’s bat cracked as his base hit brought Sutherland home. Senior first baseman Tom Neary stepped up to the plate, and after taking the first two pitches, he jumped on the third and kept the rally alive when he rocketed a shot over the right-field fence for a home run and 6-0 lead.

“They had tough pitching in that first game so we had to stay focused mentally at the plate, have good at bats and get the little things done,” Neary said. “We won’t take a day off; we’ll stay focused in practice. We can’t afford to lay back — we’ve got a tough opponent coming up — so we have to work just as hard as we’ve been working.”

Smithtown West had seen enough and a change was made at the mound. The Bulls went through three pitchers on the afternoon in an attempt to stall Northport’s onslaught, which it did.

Second baseman George Sutherland drives in a run. Photo by Bill Landon
Second baseman George Sutherland drives in a run. Photo by Bill Landon

Palmerini retired the order in the top of the next two innings, and Northport threatened in the bottom of the fifth. After plating another runner, Northport put runners on first and second, but an infield heater was fielded for a clean double play to retire the side.

Desperate for a run, Smithtown West advanced both runners into scoring position on a passed ball at the plate. With one out, the runner at third took a healthy lead, and junior shortstop Nick Trabbachi drilled the deep to right field for the sacrifice fly. Lindley, the right fielder, caught the ball on the run and fired the ball toward home plate. The runner on third hesitated, and Lindley’s throw to the plate hit its mark in time to force the runner back to third.

“I was hoping he would go, but he held up and we got out of that inning,” Lindley said. “My pitcher just sets it up every time and we’re always ready for the play. It’s pure adrenaline. [We’re] so excited to make it to the counties.”

Although neither team faced each other in the regular season Smithtown West head coach Al Nucci said Northport was everything he thought they’d be, and then some.

“They threw strikes, they didn’t walk anyone, they challenged us, they were very aggressive and they attacked us early in the count,” Nucci said. “They’re a tremendous hitting team and they strung their hits together. I think they have a very good chance to win the county.”

Palmerini pitched his way out of a jam, stranding two runners to retire the side.

“I had to work back in counts — I got into a little bit of trouble,” Palmerini said. “Their one through four batters are very good, so I had to throw a lot of off-speed pitches and mix it up more than usual.”

First baseman Dan Heller attempts a pickoff. Photo by Bill Landon
First baseman Dan Heller attempts a pickoff. Photo by Bill Landon

McCarthy took over at the mound for Smithtown West’s final shot at the win, and sat the batters down in order.

Northport will travel to No. 2 West Islip for the first of a three-game series on May 28 at noon. The second game will be May 30 at Northport at noon.

“These guys are a loose group — they expect to win and they go out and play to win,” Northport head coach John De Martini said. “I thought we played great defense, we hit the ball well, and more than that, we got some awesome pitching. The kids have done that all year long.”

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Jimmy Caddigan shoots through traffice, and scores with a shot to the top, far right corner. Photo by Desirée Keegan
Danny Caroussos is sandwiched between the Bay Shore goalkeeper and a Bay Shore defender after scoring a goal. Photo by Desirée Keegan
Dan Riley, who had three assists on the evening, races across midfield. Photo by Desirée Keegan
Brandon Meir pushes his way past a stick across the chest and fires a shot at the net. Photo by Desirée Keegan
Dan Varello raises his stick to maintain possession after the faceoff. Photo by Desirée Keegan
Matt Caddigan rockets a shot through traffic and scores. Photo by Desirée Keegan
Jimmy Caddigan maintains possession while a Bay Shore defender tries to force a turnover. Photo by Desirée Keegan
John Hoffman moves the ball around inside the box as Bay Shore defenders race to gain possession in a last-ditch effort to score before time expires. Photo by Desirée Keegan
Kyle Zawadzki winds up to pass the ball. Photo by Desirée Keegan
Danny Caroussos moves the ball around the cage. Photo by Desirée Keegan
Jimmy Caddigan dives for the loose ball. Photo by Desirée Keegan

Smithtown West bounced back from a tough loss to Northport with a 9-7 win over Bay Shore Tuesday.

With one game left in the regular season — a tough matchup against Division I leader West Islip — the boys’ lacrosse team has lost just four games this season, all of them one-goal games. The Bulls’ defense had a target to keep all opponents under five goals this season, and came close with 10 of its 15 competitors scoring six or fewer.

“We’ve been playing some big games lately,” said junior attack Jimmy Caddigan, who tallied a hat trick and two assists in the win over Bay Shore. “I think today we got back on track a little bit. Our defense has been playing great all year. We had some man downs that they played big on.”

Smithtown West senior attack Danny Caroussos got his team on the board first to open the game, and although Bay Shore tied it up, sophomore attack and midfielder Kyle Zawadzki scored with 15.9 seconds left in the first quarter to give his team the advantage.

Being a man down, Bay Shore was able to capitalize on the Bulls’ yellow card to again even the score. But that would be the last time the Marauders would come that close.

“Overall I though we could’ve played better — definitely not up to our potential, but coming off a loss it’s great to get back in the win column and get some momentum going into our last game of the year against a very good West Islip team coming in, especially on senior night,” Caroussos said of the May 12 game, which kicks off at 5 p.m.

Caddigan assisted on Zawadzki’s final goal of the evening, and Caroussos assisted on Caddigan’s first when he passed to the sophomore, who swiveled around the cage from the left side and scored for the 4-2 advantage.

The Bulls led by four goals twice. First, when Caddigan whipped the ball into the netting from two yards out with 30.5 seconds left in the first half, and second, when his younger brother Matt Caddigan found the net off an assist from John Hoffman.

Right before that goal that gave Smithtown West an 8-4 lead, senior midfielder Danny Varello, who won 17 of 19 faceoffs, won the draw and raced into Bay Shore’s zone, rocketing a shot in, in a play that lasted just several seconds.

Despite the showing, Smithtown West head coach Bobby Moltisanti Jr. said his team has some more work to do.

“It was a gritty win,” he said. “I felt we were inefficient on offense. There was an opportunity throughout the game where we could’ve pulled away, but we didn’t. I feel like we can play better, and the boys know they can play better. But I give the boys credit. They fought.”

His athletes agreed, but still think they have what it takes to go far.

“I think this team can beat anyone,” Jimmy Caddigan said. “We’re getting over that hump of finishing the regular-season games and we’re looking forward to the playoffs.”

Although playoffs are looming in the near future, the Bulls are looking to take it one game at a time, with the immediate focus being on their senior night game.

“They’re No. 1 right now, we have a big rivalry between us and them,” Jimmy Caddigan said of West Islip. “We play them every year and we want one more big win.”

Zawadzki said the teams needs to clean up before heading into the next matchup, but added that the win over Bay Shore was important.

“This gives us confidence going into next week and we’ll just keep it rolling,” he said.

Smithtown West was a mixed bag this season, with strong senior leadership but some big contributing underclassmen. Although plenty of strong players will be left no matter what happens this postseason, for seniors like Caroussos, heading into his last few games will be bittersweet.

“There’s definitely mixed emotions,” he said. “We have a lot of potential and the county championship is one of the goals. I think we honestly have a chance to do that. We just need to come together as one unit and keep motivating each other to play better and better, and keep finding ways to win.”

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Smithtown High School East and Smithtown High School West are ranked in the state’s top 100 schools. File photo by Bill Landon

Districts in New York aspire to have a high school on U.S. News & World Report’s list of the top 100 public high schools in the state. Smithtown did one better. Both high schools, East and West, cracked the top 100 for New York State on the 2016 list, and the top 1,000 nationwide. The list is based on performance on state assessments, graduation rates and how well schools prepare students for college.

“We are very proud of both of our High Schools for making this prestigious list,” Superintendent James Grossane said in an email Monday. “It speaks to the strength of our educational programming K-12 and to the hard work of our students and staff. These honors are also a sign of the support the entire Smithtown Central School District community provides to our schools. Congratulations to our students and staff and thank you to our community for their continued support.”

Smithtown High School West was 76th on the list for New York State and 663rd nationwide, while High School East was 94th in the state and 857th in the country. New York State is home to nearly 1,300 high schools according to “U.S. News & World Report.” West was the 20th best Long Island public high school on the list, while East was 22nd.

Neighboring high schools in Harborfields, Commack and Ward Melville are also within the top 100. Only schools that receive silver or gold medals receive a ranking.

Smithtown is facing potential future financial difficulties, with a declining enrollment and a void in adequate state aid looming, according to district administration, though they have prided themselves in being able to maintain academic excellence despite painful cuts.

“Despite all of the doom and gloom that we’ve talked about, throughout these cuts, the staff in our employ has continued to produce excellence in students,” Joanne McEnroy, vice president of Smithtown’s board of education, said at a recent meeting. “Our programs, although cut, have not suffered. Our students are performing despite this.”

The board of education voted earlier in 2016 to close Branch Brook Elementary School, one of the district’s eight elementary buildings, before the 2017-18 school year, as a cost saving method, much to the dismay of many community members.

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Junior catcher Kaitlyn Loffman tries to catch the low ball behind the plate. Photo by Bill Landon

By Bill Landon

Smithtown West protected a one-run lead until the sixth inning, when Brentwood scored three runs on a single play to take the lead, and scored an insurance run in the top of the seventh to notch the 4-1 nonleague softball win Monday afternoon.

Junior first baseman Kiley Magee reaches for the out. Photo by Bill Landon
Junior first baseman Kiley Magee reaches for the out. Photo by Bill Landon

The bats cracked on both sides, but each team left several runners on base, leaving the game scoreless through three and a half innings.

Brentwood threatened with runners on the corners with one out in the top of the fourth, and tried to steal second base, but Smithtown West junior catcher Kaitlyn Loffman fired a shot to eighth-grader Sarah Chapman, who cleanly tagged the runner for the second out of the inning.

“They’re in League I, but I thought we could’ve done more to help out the defense,” Loffman said. “On offense, we just have to pick better pitches to swing at.”

Brentwood stranded the lone runner and the Bulls went to work in the bottom of the fourth.

Smithtown West junior first baseman Kiley Magee’s bat cracked next as she found the gap for a lead-off single. Loffman, equally as dangerous in the batters’ box, ripped one deep down the left sideline that went to the fence, plating Magee as Loffman made it to third standing up. Unable to bring Loffman home, Smithtown West had to settle for a 1-0 lead to open the fifth inning.

Freshman utility player Gabrianna Lorefice fires the ball to first base. Photo by Bill Landon
Freshman utility player Gabrianna Lorefice fires the ball to first base. Photo by Bill Landon

“They’re pretty good, but I thought we could’ve played better,” Magee said. “We’ll work on playing better defense.”

Neither team could find the plate in the fifth, but the tables turned in the sixth inning as Brentwood’s first at batter drew a walk. The next, the go-ahead run, was hit by a pitch and took first base with two outs. The Indians followed with a base-clearing, stand-up double on an error for a 3-1 advantage.

With their backs against the wall, the Bulls threatened in the bottom of the inning when Loffman smacked a lead-off single, and was followed by junior pitcher Maria Caviris, who drove one into shallow left field for a base hit that represented the tying run at first. Smithtown squandered the opportunity though, leaving both runners on base to end the inning.

“We haven’t played them for a long time, but I know some of the players, so I had an idea [of how well they can hit],” Caviris said, adding that she thought she could’ve pitched better.

Although Smithtown was finished scoring, Brentwood was not, and an insurance run in the top of the seventh sealed the team’s fate.

Junior pitcher Maria Caviris fields the infield pop-up. Photo by Bill Landon
Junior pitcher Maria Caviris fields the infield pop-up. Photo by Bill Landon

“Years ago we faced them when we were one school, and played them regularly in League I,” Smithtown West head coach Dave Miller said. “This years’ schedule calls for mandatory nonleague games and that’s this game against them. We made way too many base-running mistakes in this game, missed signs and you can’t help the base hits on the other team,” he said. “Maria [Caviris] pitched well, but when you can’t pitch your way out of a two-out, nobody on, and walk, hit a batter, [and give up a] double — that hurt us.”

Smithtown West dropped to 2-6 League III and 5-6 overall, with nine games to play. The Bulls travel to take on Central Islip next, on April 27 at 11 a.m., and host West Babylon on April 28 at 11 a.m., in nonleague games.

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Smithtown West senior Natalia Lynch makes her way down the field. Photo by Desirée Keegan
Smithtown West junior Chelsea Witteck tallied a game-high five goals and one assist. Photo by Desirée Keegan
Smithtown West junior Chelsea Witteck tallied a game-high five goals. Photo by Desirée Keegan

With help from Chelsea Witteck’s five goals and one assist, the Smithtown West girls’ lacrosse team pulled away with a 12-6 victory over Sachem North Monday, putting the group’s first tally in the record book.

The Bulls came bursting out of the gates with senior midfielder Mackenzie Heldberg winning the first draw and getting the ball back to take it to goal for the 1-0 lead just 11 seconds in.

Off the ensuing draw, Heldberg won it again and brought the ball into Sachem North’s zone. A crossing pass was made and a shot missed, but the ball still managed to bounce in just seconds after the first goal.

At the 2:23 mark, Witteck scored off a quick pass in front of the net for a 3-0 advantage.

“In the first half we came out strong — winning the draws, finishing our shots,” the junior attack said. “I’ve been working on my shots and we’ve been working a lot on our plays and getting good looks and everyone can feed and play all over the field.”

Smithtown West sophomore Grace Langella wins up to pass the ball. Photo by Desirée Keegan
Smithtown West sophomore Grace Langella wins up to pass the ball. Photo by Desirée Keegan

The draw wins kept coming, and with them, came more goals. By the 14-minute mark, Smithtown West had an 8-0 lead before the Flaming Arrows put their first point on the board.

“Our offense is our strength,” assistant coach Peter Klement said. “We move the ball around real well when we handle it well.”

By halftime, the Bulls were up 11-2, but came out with less urgency in the second.

Again, 11 seconds in, Smithtown West scored. This time, it was Witteck off a feed from senior midfielder Natalie Lynch.

“I think we were pretty well-prepared for this,” Lynch said. “We worked really hard together in the first half and I think everyone really wanted this. I think we lost our fire in the second half a little bit, but we don’t have a team where just one person can score or two people can score, and that’s definitely a plus having so many different options.”

Smithtown West freshman Taylor Mennella gains control of the loose ball. Photo by Desirée Keegan
Smithtown West freshman Taylor Mennella gains control of the loose ball. Photo by Desirée Keegan

After the first goal of the final 25 minutes, the Bulls wouldn’t score again. Sachem North controlled the tempo and dominated the time of possession, rattling off the final five unanswered goals, but the Flaming Arrows’ comeback effort was not enough, as Smithtown West’s early lead kept the team ahead.

Heldberg and sophomore attack Grace Langella finished with two goals and an assist apiece, and Lynch and junior midfielder Kayla Kosubinsky each added one goal and two assists.

“I think we got a little too comfortable and once we realized that we needed to play harder defense, get ground balls and run faster, I think we were able to pick it up,” Heldberg said. “On defense, we have a lot of returners so that keeps us strong. On offense, we blend very well and have so many options and we’re able to move the ball well and quick in transition. I’m excited — I think we’re going to have a great season.”

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Chris Crespo makes his way to the rim between a swarm of Brentwood opponents in the Bulls' 61-49 loss to the Indians in the Suffolk County Class AA semifinals. Photo by Desirée Keegan
Nick Grande scores his game-opening layup after stealing a pass in Brentwood's zone. Photo by Desirée Keegan
Greg Giordano maintains possession of the ball with a Brentwood defender on his back. Photo by Desirée Keegan
Nick Grande calls a play. Photo by Desirée Keegnan
Jake Torres crosses into Brentwood's zone as a player tries to keep him from making a move. Photo by Desirée Keegan
Chris Crespo looks for an open teammate to pass the ball to. Photo by Desirée Keegan
Greg Giordano leaps up to the rim. Photo by Desirée Keegan
Nick Grande kicks it into high gear in an attempt to break away to the basket. Photo by Desirée Keegan
Jake Torres swishes a free-throw shot. Photo by Desirée Keegan
Nick Grande reaches for the rim in an attempt to level the score. Photo by Desirée Keegan

“There’s no reason we can’t win this game,” Smithtown West senior Matt English told his team during warm-ups. “What do we have to lose? Nothing.”

So with that, the No. 4 Smithtown West boys’ basketball team battled on the boards and hung in there with a tough No. 1-seeded Brentwood team during the Suffolk County Class AA semifinals at Stony Brook University Sunday night. The team’s efforts may not have been enough, as the Bulls fell 61-49 to the Indians, but in head coach Mike Agostino’s eyes, the team did everything it needed to.

“We did everything that we usually do — we played our butts off, we executed on offense, we moved the ball, set screens, we did all of the things necessary to win the game,” he said. “In terms of what we can control and what we did, they did everything I wanted them to.”

Senior Nick Grande started the game off strong for the Bulls, stealing a pass and converting the opportunity for points with a breakaway layup just 13 seconds into the game.

Brentwood countered with two field goals of its own before senior Doug Levy tied it up with a layup of his own, and tied it up again with an offensive rebound on the Bulls’ next possession, to bring the score to 6-6.

Levy tapped in another offensive rebound and sophomore Chris Crespo added a put-in and two free-throw points, but at the end of the eight minutes, the Bulls found themselves down 20-12.

The two teams continued to trade points in the second stanza, but the Bulls’ deficit grew to 10 points, with a 29-19 halftime score.

Crespo started off the third like Grande did the first, stealing the ball and converting a layup at the 7:12 mark, and added a field goal and a 3-point play to go alone with junior Greg Giordano’s field goal early on to help Smithtown West close the gap to 35-28, but that was as close as the team would come.

English finished with a team-high 14 points, Giordano netted 11, Crespo tacked on seven and Levy and junior Kyle LaGuardia added seven points apiece.

The Bulls may have lost, but the boys kept up with the No. 1-ranked team in the county, and never stopped hustling.

“It’s nothing new; it doesn’t’ surprise me,” Agostino said of the team’s commitment to never quitting. “That’s the expectation. It doesn’t surprise me, but it fills me with a lot of pride each time I see them put forth that effort. I never felt choked up after losing a game, but I did with them. The emotion comes from how hard they tried and how much effort they put in, and that’s what makes me really happy.”

Some of the teammates took to Twitter after the game to express their gratitude and feelings on being a part of the program.

“Thanks to everyone who came out to support,” Giordano wrote. “I wouldn’t have wanted to go to battle with any other group of guys these past four years. I love all of you.”

Despite also playing baseball, and choosing to play it in college, Grande wrote about how glad he was to have had the opportunity to play for his hoops team.

“Loved this game since I first picked up a basketball,” he said. “Gonna miss it like hell, but I couldn’t have asked for a better last ride.”

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Huntington's Katie Reilly maintains possession of the ball as she calls a play, as Jillian Unkenholz defends for Smithtown. Photo by Bill Landon

By Bill Landon

Despite the Smithtown West girls’ basketball team clawing back and taking its first lead of the game with just over five minutes left in regulation, Huntington closed the gap and edged ahead by a point, holding onto the lead in the final minute for a 44-43 League III victory Monday night.

The Bulls opened the third quarter with six unanswered points and trimmed their deficit to four to open the final quarter trailing 31-27.

Anna Gulizio scores for Huntington over the head of Smithtown's Sarah Harrington. Photo by Bill Landon
Anna Gulizio scores for Huntington over the head of Smithtown’s Sarah Harrington. Photo by Bill Landon

Smithtown West head coach Katie Combs said her team missed many opportunities early in the game.

“Predominantly layups and our free throws killed us today,’ she said. “Had we not done that, we should’ve won that game by 10. We’re a much better team than that, and in the second half, we had to step up and show it.”

With 5:45 remaining in the game, Smithtown West drew within one point when Rebecca Meyers went to the line shooting for two points. The senior forward missed the front end, but nailed the back to tie the game at 33-33. On their next offensive possession, the Bulls took their first lead of the game when junior forward Gabby Horman, on a rebound, banked two points to put her team out in front, 35-33.

“We started getting our steals with our press, which carried over on offense,” said Horman, who led her team in scoring with 12 points. “Coach told us at the halftime that we need to dominate in the second half and get the ball down low.”

Huntington edged ahead by a field goal and a free-throw appearance, but Horman retied the game when she went to the line shooting two and split the opportunity.

Both teams were plagued by penalties in the final two minutes of the game, and both teams traded points at the foul line. Leading by one, the Bulls found the rim to edge ahead 43-40 with 1:33 left in regulation.

“Our girls just worked really hard in that second half,” said Smithtown West freshman Jillian Unkenholz, who scored 10 points on the evening.

Huntington went to the free-throw line next, but came away empty as the score stalled with 55 seconds left on the clock.

Huntington sophomore Alex Heuwetter let a three-point attempt fly with 35 seconds left, and her shot hit its mark to tie the game again, this time, at 43-43.

Huntington's Taylor Moreno tries to force a turnover from Smithtown's Jillian Unkenholz. Photo by Bill Landon
Huntington’s Taylor Moreno tries to force a turnover from Smithtown’s Jillian Unkenholz. Photo by Bill Landon

“We sat back on them a little bit — we got comfortable with where we were at and they took advantage of that,” Huntington senior Taylor Moreno said. “The second wave of our bench came in and that completely changed the whole demeanor of the game, which gave us confidence to make that last push and we were able to come out with the win.”

With less than six seconds remaining in regulation, Huntington senior guard Katie Reilly drove the lane and was fouled, sending her to the charity stripe. She scored on the first, but missed the second opportunity to put her team out front 44-43. Reilly and Heuwetter both topped the Huntington scoreboard with 14 points apiece.

Despite her strong performance in the final quarter, Reilly said the coach wasn’t pleased at the halftime break.

“Well, the subs went in to start the second half — all five of us came out because we were slacking a little bit,” Reilly said. “So coach sent in five new people and they carried us, so it was a real team effort.”

With 4.2 seconds left on the scoreboard, Smithtown West had one final possession, inbounded the ball and passed to the baseline only to have it picked off by the Blue Devils as the buzzer sounded.

“We let them hang around and I think that was our biggest problem — we were content where we were instead of separating ourselves,” Huntington head coach Michael Kaplan said. “The girls who came off the bench really stepped up and contributed to the win, because whoever’s playing the hardest is going to play, and our subs came in and gave us a spark and energy that rejuvenated the rest of the team.”

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Smithtown's Chris Crespo leaps up to the rim between West Islip defenders. Photo by Desirée Keegan

Defense won the Bulls this basketball game.

The Smithtown West boys’ basketball team came out blocking shot after shot against a tall West Islip team, outscoring the competition 55-28 in its League III opener.

“I loved the defensive intensity. The defense is our backbone this year,” Smithtown West head coach Mike Agostino said. “We like to hold a team under 30 points. We have to defend, we have to help each other and play pressure defense, and that’s what gives us extra possessions and gets us extra shots.”

Smithtown's Greg Giordano moves the ball up the court. Photo by Desirée Keegan
Smithtown’s Greg Giordano moves the ball up the court. Photo by Desirée Keegan

Although the Bulls won by a wide margin, the game wasn’t always that way.

After more than three minutes of play, both teams were scoreless. It wasn’t until the 4:36 mark that senior Matt English nailed the tail end of his free-throw attempts to get the first point on the board.

A minute went by until the team scored again, with senior Doug Levy coming up with a big block before sophomore Chris Crespo intercepted an inbound pass and converted it for two points. After another Levy block, West Islip called a timeout.

“The first half, we didn’t get shots to fall, but we were playing really good defense,” Crespo said. “Shots blocked, a lot of steals, points on turnovers and a lot of good stuff like that, so I think the defense really helped us win this game.”

At the 1:11 mark, English scored on a putback to extend the Bulls’ lead to 5-0, but a West Islip field goal and three-pointer sandwiching junior Kyle LaGuardia’s free throw and field goal off a rebound on his own free-throw miss brought the score to 8-5 at the end of the first quarter.

Nick Grande looks to make a pass for Smithtown. Photo by Desirée Keegan
Nick Grande looks to make a pass for Smithtown. Photo by Desirée Keegan

Crespo started off the second stanza with a three-pointer, and after a West Islip field goal, Levy added a putback and junior Gordon Shouler followed with a three-pointer of his own to extend the team’s lead to 16-7.

“Going into the second and especially in the third quarter, we were really getting our shots to fall,” Crespo said. “And still, the defense continued to remain strong.”

By the halftime break, Smithtown West had doubled West Islip’s score, 24-12.

“We don’t shoot as much as other teams have, but we do have plenty of guys that can shoot and get hot quick,” Agostino said. “We just have to find our rhythm, but this is only our second game.”

English and senior guard Nick Grande powered the Bulls through the third. First, English began the scoring with a putback, and after four West Islip points, Grande started off his scoring for the evening with a field goal.

English swished two free-throw points, and West Islip scored a field goal of its own, but Grande answered back when he converted a putback for two.

West Islip grabbed another rebound, but Grande nailed a three-pointer to extend the Bulls’ lead to 37-18. The two teams traded field goals again and West Islip tacked on a two free throws to bring the score to 39-22.

Gordon Shouler defends for Smithtown. Photo by Desirée Keegan
Gordon Shouler defends for Smithtown. Photo by Desirée Keegan

“Everything starts on defense and I think we played four full quarters of defense, so that’s always going to keep you in the game,” Grande said.

What helped the team besides its defense was having a myriad of players that can score. Eight different players contributed to the team’s total score, which isn’t common.

“When other teams are getting fatigued, we’re still rotating new guys in,” Grande said. “It definitely puts a lot of pressure on them to keep up with us.”

Five different players scored in the fourth quarter, and by midway through the final eight minutes, Agostino was able to swap in his bench players to get playing time.

Grande and Shouler finished with 11 points each, Crespo added eight with six assists and three rebounds, and English scored seven points and had seven rebounds.

“Even those guys that are coming in late in the game, they’re doing the same thing,” the head coach said. “They’re defending, they’re being aggressive, they’re rebounding and it’s those constant waves of aggression that are coming at teams that I think can really help us down the line.”

Agostino would like to see some improvements in the team’s offensive game, but so far, he likes what he’s seeing.

“Once that happens,” he said of the progression throughout the season, “I think we’ll be really tough to beat.”

Smithtown West travels to Newfield on Thursday, with tipoff scheduled for 5:45 p.m.

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Smithtown West senior forward John Kazubowski kicks the ball behind him toward the goal. Photo by Desirée Keegan
Smithtown West senior forward Max Mohrmann pushes the ball forward toward East Islip’s net. Photo by Desirée Keegan
Smithtown West senior forward Max Mohrmann pushes the ball forward toward East Islip’s net. Photo by Desirée Keegan

By Desirée Keegan

John Kazubowski said he normally doesn’t score goals, but if he told you that Tuesday, he’d be lying.

The Smithtown West senior forward scored a hat trick to lead the No. 3-ranked Bulls, 4-2, over No. 14 East Islip in the first round of the Class AA playoffs.

Just over 10 minutes into the first half, Kazubowski went to knock the ball deeper into East Islip’s territory from the 30-yard line, only to hit the top of the crossbar and bounce into the right corner of the net for a good goal and the 1-0 lead.

In shock, the forward threw his hands up in disbelief as the crowd erupted.

“I don’t usually shoot during the season a lot, so I thought, ‘Hey, might as well,’” he said. “I had space so I took it and it came out nice, I guess.”

Minutes later, an East Islip player escaped defenders and on a one-on-one with the goalkeeper, knocked it into the right corner to tie the game.

Smithtown West head coach Tom Lips said that since his team was going against a low seed, the other team knew they had to give it their all if they wanted to progress through the bracket.

Smithtown West senior midfielder Matt McDonnell keeps the ball in play. Photo by Desirée Keegan
Smithtown West senior midfielder Matt McDonnell keeps the ball in play. Photo by Desirée Keegan

“They have everything to loose, but more importantly, we’ve had two starters out of our consistent lineup,” he said of junior defender Reed Massaro and sophomore midfielder Andrew McDonnell who were both injured in the last game of the regular season. “We’ve had no injuries until the last game of the season and this is our first game playing without them, so it obviously affected us greatly — especially in our back line where we’re very thin defensively.”

Despite Kazubowski scoring again in the eighth minute off an assist from senior midfielder and co-captain Matt McDonnell, East Islip tied it up, 2-2, off a foul kick four minutes later.

“I don’t think we rose emotionally to the occasion,” Lips said. “I think the other team outworked us. Do I think we’re a better team? Yes, but they outworked us. We have talent, it’s just we weren’t cohesive, pretty much played their style and it’s a compliment to them. We just weren’t good today.”

The Bulls opened up the second half with an early attempt, but couldn’t capitalize, which happened multiple times throughout the game.

“We came a little not awake in the first half and it was a tough one, but we rallied through the second half,” Kazubowski said. “We have to play better in the next round if we want to do something big this season. We have to wake up for the next round and produce something better.”

At the 21:53 mark, the senior forward proved he couldn’t be stopped, when he grabbed a tipped rebound in front of the box and faked out the keeper, shooting the ball into an empty right side for the 3-2 advantage.

Smithtown West's Nathan Biondi maintains possession as East Islip defenders swarm around him. Photo by Desirée Keegan
Smithtown West’s Nathan Biondi maintains possession as East Islip defenders swarm around him. Photo by Desirée Keegan

“We didn’t play our best, but we definitely came back after they scored a goal or two and pushed in the end,” Matt McDonnell said. “I think we were physically a little more fit toward the end of the game, which helped us.”

With 15:09 left on the clock, McDonnell took a penalty kick shot after a teammate was blocked on a breakaway, and he shot it past a diving East Islip goalkeeper for the 4-2 win.

“I think we were just able to persevere,” he said. “We had a few missed plays and couldn’t finish a few opportunities, but we worked hard and got back in it. If we come together as a team we can go far.”

Smithtown West hasn’t lost a game since Sept. 16, when the team fell to crosstown rival Smithtown East, 1-0, and are now 14-1-1. The Bulls move on to host No. 11 Half Hollow Hills West on Friday at 2 p.m.

No. 16 East lost its outbracket game at home against No. 17 Sachem North, 3-1, on Oct. 24.

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