Authors Posts by Bill Landon

Bill Landon

Centereach forward Meghan Ippoliti boxes out in a home game against Smithtown East. Photo by Bill Landon

By Bill Landon

With 2 seconds left on the clock Centereach sophomore Hayley Torres went to the free throw line with the score tied 64-64. Torres composed herself and sank her second shot to put the Cougars ahead by one. With 0:02 left in regulation, Smithtown East Inbounded the ball and threw the Hail Mary shot from midcourt to no avail as Centereach erupted in celebration at their own home court, winning the game 65-64 in the League III matchup Jan 12.

Smithtown East freshman Juliana Gandarillas stood atop the scoreboard for the Bulls with 18 points. Meredith Brennan sank four 3-pointers and a pair of field goals for 16 points, while Jules Nestor and Isabella Moragiemos banked nine points apiece. 

Madelyn Madrigal led the way for Centereach with 18 points, Meaghan Greico banked 16 and Torres finished with 13.

The win lifts the Cougars to 5-6 on the season while the loss takes the Bulls to 6-6. 

— Photos by Bill Landon 

By Bill Landon

Wrestling took center stage at Comsewogue High School in the Warrior Duals tournament in a multischool invitational that featured three mats of action-packed wrestling Saturday, Jan. 13.

Ward Melville’s Jaden Baron pinned his Brentwood challenger at 108lbs in the opening round, and teammate Zachary Rothenberg pinned his opponent in just 51 seconds at 116lbs. Ward Melville’s Kyle Yannucciello defeated Kevin Rivas at 101lbs, and A.J. Lollo in the top weight class (285lbs) pinned his opponent.

The Patriots are back on the mats Jan. 17 with a road trip to Bay Shore with the first bout slated for 6:30 p.m.

— Photos by Bill Landon

Just past the halfway point in the season Shoreham-Wading River, the 2023 Suffolk County class A champions, find themselves in the middle of the pack in their division. The Wildcats (5-5), having lost to Mount Sinai three days earlier, were hungry to get back to their winning ways when they hosted Center Moriches (1-8), making short work of the Red Devils winning 58-35 in the League VI matchup Jan 8.

Senior Juliana Mahan led the way for the Wildcats doing what she’s done all season battling in the paint netting eight layups/putbacks for 16 points. Grayce Kitchen, a junior, netted 11 points and Kady Keegan, the sophomore, banked eight. Kitchen had a 3-pointer as did freshman teammate Stamatia Almiroudis.

The Wildcats next two games will be their litmus test with a road game at Elwood-John Glenn on Tuesday, Jan 16, followed by a home game against Hampton Bays Jan. 20. Game times are 5:15 p.m. and noon respectively.

Ward Melville senior Grace Balocca banks two for the Patriots. Photo by Bill Landon

Ward Melville rattled off six wins in a row to open their ’23-’24 season but were tripped up in a nonleague road game against Shoreham-Wading River, falling to the League VI Wildcats, 39-35, Dec. 29. 

The Patriots, reeling from that loss, pummeled Central Islip on the road in a league matchup defeating the Musketeers, 58-28, in the Jan. 4 contest. 

Ward Melville senior Emma Silverman led the offensive attack with a 3-pointer and four from the floor for 11 points. Senior Grace Balocca netted eight points as did Addison Dellaporta, and teammates Julia Dank, Jaclyn Engel and Kaitlyn McNeil each scored seven points apiece.

The win kept the Patriots atop the League I leaderboard, consolidated by a 43-34 victory against Longwood Jan. 6. 

Kings Park (3-5) squared off against host Hampton Bays (3-4) Saturday night where no decision was made after 32 minutes of play. With both teams deadlocked at 53-53 at the end of regulation, a four-minute overtime period was forced to decide the winner in the League V matchup Jan. 6.

Hampton Bays edged ahead clinging to a four-point lead with 33 seconds left in the overtime period, a lead that shrank to three with eight seconds left. Kings Park senior Thomas Matonti got the call and managed to let a 3-pointer fly that just missed its mark as the final buzzer sounded, with the Kingsmen falling to the Baymen 63-60.

It was the senior core of co-captains that topped the scoring chart for the Kingsmen with Joe Romano’s team high of 23 points, Thomas Matonti did his damage from afar with six triples and a pair of free throws for 20 points and John Flynn added 12.

Having lost to Elwood-John Glenn two days earlier, Kings Park rebounded Tuesday, defeating Islip at home 61-52. The Kingsmen will look to build on that momentum when they retake the court in another league matchup Tuesday, Jan. 16, with a road game against Harborfields. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.

Downtown Port Jefferson was ready for Santa as the shops and businesses of the village continued a popular tradition this holiday season. 

— Photos by Bill Landon

Having lost the first three nonleague season games and a league loss two days earlier, Kings Park looked to get back to their winning ways with a road game against the Panthers of Miller Place Thursday afternoon.

Despite trailing after the first eight minutes of play, the Kingsmen sparked to life in the second quarter to take a 17-point lead into the halftime break. Thomas Matonti caught fire with his three-point shooting prowess, draining five triples in the League 5 matchup.

The Panthers struggled in the second half with Kings Park’s swarming defense and unrelenting press, falling 63-32 in the Dec. 14 contest.

The Kings Park senior co-captains peppered the scoreboard with Matonti at the top of the chart with 21 points, John Flynn banking 13 and Joe Romano netting 10.

Nick Frusco carried the flag for the Panthers with five field goals and five from the free throw line, and Matthew Cirrito notched six.

The win lifted Kings Park to 1-1 in division play as they handed the Panthers their first loss of this early season.

Both teams retook the court Tuesday night, with the Kingsmen besting Sayville 47-35. Miller Place fell again against Harborfields, losing the contest 52-49.

— Photos by Bill Landon 

After dropping their league season opener, Newfield looked to put a “W” in the win column in a road game against Bellport, but the Wolverines struggled to gain traction in a game plagued by turnovers, falling to the Clippers 54-37 in the League III matchup Dec 18.

Newfield senior Raiyah Reid, the floor general who’s been a varsity starter since the eigth grade, led the way for the Wolverines. Reid ranked second in Suffolk County last season, with 140 field goals, 17 triples and 79 free throws, averaging 25.6 points per game, according to Newsday. Reid banked six field goals, a triple and a pair of free throws for 17 points. Teammates Tori Coletti netted nine, and Jasmine Ricchetti and Sarah Murphy scored four points apiece.

The loss drops the Wolverines to 1-4 overall. They will retake the court Dec. 21 with a road game against crosstown rival, Centereach. Game time is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.

– Photos by Bill Landon

By Bill Landon

Ward Melville had their hands full when they hosted perennial powerhouse Brentwood, where the Patriots struggled to keep pace in a League 1 matchup, falling 62-40 Friday night, Dec. 15.

It was a foul-riddled, physical contest where both teams spent time at the free throw line and as the game grew late, several players flirted with fouling out.

Neelesh Raghurama, the junior, led the Patriots with two 3-pointers and a pair of field goals for 10 points; senior forward Lorenzo Beaton netted seven; and seniors Devin Lynch and Luke Chitkara banked six points apiece.

The Patriots (0-2 league), who won a pair of nonleague early season games, will look to get back to their winning ways when they travel to Riverhead Thursday, Dec. 21. Game time is slated for 5 p.m.

— Photos by Bill Landon

By Bill Landon

With eight consecutive nonleague games to open the Shoreham-Wading River girls basketball season, game five pitted the Wildcats against Greenport Tuesday night when the visiting Porters clung to a one-point lead to open the second half. The Wildcats came alive in the final 16 minutes of play, slamming the door shut to win the game 50-28 in the Dec. 19 contest.

Senior forward Juliana Mahan led her team in scoring with eight field goals and three from the line for 19 points, while juniors Alyssa Bell banked 17 and Grayce Kitchen netted 9.

The win lifts Shoreham-Wading River to 2-3 in the early season.

The Wildcats retake the court in another nonleague matchup Thursday, Dec. 21, with a road game against Rocky Point. Game time is slated for 4:30 p.m.

— Photos by Bill Landon