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Shoreham-Wading River senior GraceAnn Leonard lays up for two in a road game against Miller Place. Photo by Bill Landon
Shoreham-Wading River senior Sophie Costello sets the play for the Wildcats. Photo by Bill Landon
Miller Place junior Sophia Ingenito boxes out Annie Sheehan. Photo by Bill Landon
Shoreham-Wading River sophomore Grayce Kitchen fast breaks for the Wildcats. Photo by Bill Landon
Shoreham-Wading River sophomore Reese Marcario looks for an open shooter as Grace Flammia defends. Photo by Bill Landon
Shoreham-Wading River senior Kelsey Hughes shoots. Photo by Bill Landon
Ava Ziccinelli boxes out Anabel Keegan in a league IV matchup Jan. 30. Credit: Bill Landon
Shoreham-Wading River senior Annie Sheehan scores. Photo by Bill Landon
Miller Place senior Kathryn Doherty drives the lane in a home game against Shoreham-Wading River. Photo by Bill Landon
Miller Place senior Evelyn Enriquez pushes up-court in a home game against Shoreham-Wading River. Photo by Bill Landon
Miller Place senior Renee Stocken scores for the Panthers. Photo by Bill Landon
Miller Place sophomore Brook Callahan drives the baseline. Photo by Bill Landon
Miller Place junior Grace Flammia lets a three-pointer fly. Photo by Bill Landon

The Shoreham-Wading River girls basketball team, at 17-0, is the only team in Suffolk County that has yet to lose a game this season. 

The Wildcats visited Miller Place on Monday, Jan. 30, looking to keep their perfect record intact. And they did just that, surging ahead by 25 points in the first eight minutes of play, then closing out the game with a 65-20 victory over the Panthers.

SWR head coach Adam Lievre pulled his starters six minutes in, but the roster’s depth made itself known. The Wildcats continued piling on points as the Panthers struggled to keep pace. Lievre had to temper his non-starters — eager to score varsity points — to curb the scoring fest. 

With two games remaining in the regular season, the Wildcats have positioned themselves as the top-seeded team going into postseason play, which begins Feb. 14.

— Photos by Bill Landon

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Ward Melville junior Devin Lynch battles his way to the rim in a home game against Centereach. Bill Landon photo
Ward Melville junior Devin Lynch scores in a home game against Centereach. Bill Landon photo
Ward Melville junior Luke Chitkara drives the baseline in a home game against Centereach. Bill Landon photo
Ward Melville sophomore Neelesh Raghurama shoots for three in a home game against Centereach. Bill Landon photo
Ward Melville junior Aidan Kilduff shoots for two in a home game against Centereach. Bill Landon photo
Centereach senior Riddick Drab scores for the Cougars in a road game against Ward Melville. Photo by Bill Landon
Ward Melville junior Lorenzon Beaton fights Logan Norman for the rebound in a home game against Centereach. Bill Landon photo
Centereach senior Tim McCarthy lays up for two for the Cougars in a road game against Ward Melville. Credit: Bill Landon
Ward Melville junior Lorenzo Beaton boxes out in a home game against Centereach. Bill Landon photo
Centereach senior Derek Zhang hits for two for the Cougars in a road game against Ward Melville. Credit: Bill Landon Centereach senior Derek Zhang hits for two for the Cougars in a road game against Ward Melville. Credit: Bill Landon
Centereach senior Derek Zhang drives the baseline for the Cougars in a road game against Ward Melville. Credit: Bill Landon
Centereach senior Derek Zhang scores for the Cougars in a road game against Ward Melville. Credit: Bill Landon
Ward Melville junior Devin Lynch battles his way to the rim in a home game against Centereach. Bill Landon photo
Ward Melville junior Devin Lynch scores in a home game against Centereach. Bill Landon photo
Centereach’s Christopher Buzaid battles Lorenzo Beaton in a league II match up Jan. 27. Credit: Bill Landon
Ward Melville senior Lorenzo Velez shoots from long range in a home game against Centereach. Bill Landon photo
Ward Melville junior Luke Chitkara drains a triple in a home game against Centereach. Bill Landon photo
Ward Melville junior Aidan Kilduff drives the lane in a home game against Centereach. Bill Landon photo
Ward Melville junior Lorenzo Beaton scores in a home game against Centereach. Bill Landon photo
Ward Melville junior Lorenzo Beaton scores fights Will Kiernan for the rebound in a home game against Centereach. Bill Landon photo
Devin Lynch battles Evan Grant for the rebound in a league II matchup Jan. 27. Photo by Bill Landon
Centereach senior Will Kiernan battles his way to the rim for the Cougars in a road game against Ward Melville. Credit: Bill Landon

The Ward Melville Patriots looked for a much-needed win against Centereach in a League II matchup at home, but the Cougars were able to keep the Patriots at bay, snatching a 57-53 victory Friday, Jan. 27.

Ward Melville, trailing by nine points to open the second half, were able to trim the deficit by one point late in the game, but the Cougar defense was able to thwart the threat. 

Senior Derek Zhang topped the scoring charts for the Cougars with 14 points, and senior Christopher Buzaid netted 13. 

Lorenzo Beaton scored 17 points for the Patriots, and Devin Lynch banked 13. 

The win lifts the Cougars to 8-5 in the division, securing a playoff berth. The loss drops the Patriots to 5-7 with four games remaining before postseason play begins. 

The Cougars retake the court Feb. 4 with a road game against crosstown rival Newfield at 11:15 a.m. Ward Melville will take on Longwood during a road game on Jan. 31 at 5 p.m.

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Photo from Stony Brook Athletics

The Stony Brook swimming and diving team picked up 12 first-place finishes en route to a 186-109 win over Rider Univerity in Newark, NJ on Jan. 21 to conclude its dual meet season. The 12 first-place finishes marked a new season-high in one dual meet for the squad.

The Seawolves started the meet off with a bang, securing a first-place finish in the 200 medley relay. The relay team was composed of senior Reagan MacDonald, graduate Jessica Salmon, and freshmen Michelle Vu and Alanna DePinto.

Sophomore Emma Hawkins kept the momentum rolling with a win in the 1000 freestyle with a final time of 11:03.33. Junior Mary Kate Conway and MacDonald followed behind with wins in the 200 freestyle and 100 backstroke, respectively. 

Salmon touched the wall at 1:08.86 to earn the win in the 100 breast and senior Maddy Enda clocked in at 2:10.91 for a first-place finish in the 200 butterfly. Junior Sara DiStefano captured a victory in the 1 meter dive and MacDonald kept the momentum with a victory in the 200 yard back. After Salmon collected a win in the 200 yard back and freshman Aili Talcott touched the wall first in 500 freestyle, Vu and DiStefano closed out the day with first-place finishes in the 100 yard and 3-meter dive.

“Today’s meet was a great end to our dual meet season. The energy was high with lots of great dives and swims. Now we will be switching gears going into the home stretch of the season with our championship at the end of February,” said head coach Mark Anderson.

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Above, freshman Aleksander Micich at Saturday's event.
Above, junior Grace Sisson at Saturday's event.

The Stony Brook men’s track and field team competed hard at the Villanova Invitational held at the Ocean Breeze Track and Field Facility on Staten Island on Jan. 21.

Freshman Aleksander Micich earned the best finish for the Seawolves on Saturday. He finished in second place in the long jump event, with a final jump of 6.90 meters.

Senior Patrick Abel continued his strong start to the season. He finished in third place in the 60 meter dash. The Brooklyn, New York, native crossed the finish line in 6.97 seconds.

Sophomore Nicolas Lavazoli also earned a third-place finish in the meet. He crossed the finish line in 22.11 seconds in the 200 meter race.

Graduate Robert Becker finished fifth in the 1000 meter event. He crossed the finish line with a time of 2:24.27.

Graduate Joshua Titus rounded out the top five finishes for the Seawolves, clocking in at 8.37 to secure a fifth-place finish and a new personal best in the 60 meter hurdles.

The Stony Brook women’s track and field team earned three top five finishes at the Villanova Invitational at the event..

Junior Grace Sisson paced the Seawolves, earning a fourth-place finish in the 3000 meter with a final time of 10:02.97. Graduate Dana Cerbone, senior Aristea Franks, sophomore Enyero Omokeni, and graduate Siara Guevara recorded a top five finish in the 4×400 meter relay event. The crew finished the race in 3:55.93, earning a fifth-place finish. Junior Danella Dawkins also secured a fifth-place finish for Stony Brook, clocking in at 8.90 in the 60-meter hurdles.

“Each week we compete we are trying to get better; tonight, was no different. I feel we did get better in some events but were a bit stagnant in others. But we will go back to work on Monday and get ready for next week,” said head coach Andy Ronan.

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Photo from Stony Brook Athletics

The Stony Brook men’s basketball team fell in a battle against the UNCW Seahawks on Jan. 21 at Island Federal Arena. The Seawolves battled throughout a tough back-and-forth first half, in which they found themselves down 22-21 at the break.

The Seawolves battled throughout a tough back-and-forth first half, in which they found themselves down 22-21 at the break. Stony Brook had three players score in the first half. Senior guard Tyler Stephenson-Moore finished the first frame with eight points, graduate center Keenan Fitzmorris had seven, and freshman guard Toby Onyekonwu scored six points.

In the early stages of the game, graduate forward Frankie Policelli passed the ball across the court to Fitzmorris, who drained his fifth three pointer of the season.

Stephenson-Moore led the way through the first 20 minutes. With just over eight minutes left in the first half, he used a screen from Fitzmorris and lost his defender before pulling up for a three pointer from straightaway.

Policelli started the second half with his first bucket of the game, but UNCW shifted the momentum the rest of the way. Senior guard Maleeck Harden-Hayes nailed four straight three pointers to go on a 12-0 run on his own and put the Seahawks up 34-23. Harden-Hayes finished the game with a career-high 31 points.

Onyekonwu provided the spark as the first man off the bench. After scoring six points in the first half, he started off the second frame strong. The freshman dribbled off a screen from Fitzmorris and pulled up for a long two pointer, with just under 16 minutes to go.

Despite falling behind by 11 points in the second half, Stony Brook was able to cut it back to a five-point deficit late in the game. UNCW outlasted the Seawolves’ comeback.

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Abigail Sasson in the High Jump. She was fourth with a best of 4 feet 10 inches. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Kate Woods in the Long Jump for the Lady Pats. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Abagail Sasson (middle) in the 55 meter hurdles in Suffolk County League II meet. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Preston Hickey of the Ward Melville Throwing Patriots. The junior finished 4th out of 22 in shotput. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Matt Brown of Ward Melville running in the 1600 Meter. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Abby Dimaculangan runs the 300 meter for the Lady Patriots Winter Track Team. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Katelyn West finished in the Top 10 in the shotput for Ward Melville. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Savanna Pineros runs the 600 Meter. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Cejae Reynolds sprints in the 300 Meter run. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Sofia Toepfer in the 300 Meter sprint. She placed third for the Cougars. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Emme Frigillana in the 300 Meter. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Nicole Bransfield (right) of Commack got edged out by Kaylin Mallon of Connetquot in the 55 Meter hurdles. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Connor Spahn of the Commack Throwers. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Freshman Collin Savage running the 1000 meter. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Sam Byrd in the 3200 Meter run for Commack. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Kaelen Sue-Kim-Ling was in the Top 10 in Long Jump for the East Bulls Winter Track Team. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Madeline McCollough pacing herself in the 1500 Meter for Smithtown East. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Kate Ball of Smithtown East in the high jump. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Alyssa Luberoff tries to make a final push in the grueling 3000 meter race. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Emma Scheinman (right) of Commack in the 3000 meter. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Results of the girls 3000 Meter Run. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Ellen Cancro won the 600 Meter run for Northport. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Mabelin Maldonado Licona speeds along in the 300 Meter run for Lady Devs. By Steven Zaitz
ames McNaughton of Northport at the finish line. Teammate Brandon cruz was second and Michael McClain of Commack was third. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Senior Matt Armstrong wins the 3200 Meter run by 3 seconds over Ward Melville's Brian Liebowitz. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Mia Wickard in the 3000 meter run leads her sisters Emily and Finnley. They would finish one, two, thee in this race and the 1500 Meter. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Mason Hecht came in third for Northport in the shotput. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Dominic Mattio of Huntington in the high jump. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Johan Fajardo high jumps for Huntington High School. Photo by Steven Zaitz
John Dwyer, of Northport, in the high jump competition. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Teague Ward of Northport. By Steven Zaitz
Ethan Makaw wins the shotput, breaking 44 feet for the first time. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Matt Armstrong of Huntington won the 3200 Meter. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Erik Holden, of Northport, finished in second in the 55 Meter hurdles. Photo by Steven Zaitz
The Wickard Sisters finished one, two and three in the 1500 Meter and 3000 Meter races, sweeping the two events for Northport. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Katie Hayes won the 1000 meter run for Northport. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Twins Finnley (left) and Mia Wickard in the 3000 meter run. They are in eighth grade as older sister Emily is right behind. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Kaylee Ryan running the 1000 Meter for Northport. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Matthew Remsen, of Lindenhurst, is pumped to finish 7 out of 27 in the 1000 Meter Run won by Northport's James McNaughton. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Matthew Remsen, of Lindenhurst, is pumped to finish 7 out of 27 in the 1000 Meter Run won by Northport's James McNaughton. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Matthew Remsen of Lindenhurst is pumped to finish 7 out of 27 in the 1000 Meter Run won by Northport's James McNaughton. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Kaylin Mallon of Connetquot won the 55 Meter hurdles as Commack's Nicole Bransford came in second. Photo by Steven Zaitz

Northport and Huntington

Northport and Huntington Winter Track teams — girls and boys for both schools — participated in the Section XI League II Championships Jan. 20. Northport’s boys and girls team both finished in third place, while Huntington’s boys finished fourth in a field of 10. The Lady Blue Devils finished in ninth out of nine, but they did have some bright spots.

The highlights of the evening for the Tigers and Blue Devils were aplenty:

• Northport’s incredible Wickard sisters, junior Emily and twin eighth graders Mia and Finnley, swept first, second and third place in both the 1500-meter and 3000-meter races, as they have done numerous times before.
• Devils Matt Armstrong and Kender Edouazin took first and second in the 600-meter race and Blue Devil Jahmar Francis was sixth. Northport had the best-finishing freshman with Alex Toran, who came in ninth. All of these athletes broke a minute and a half as the rest of the field of 28 did not.
• Armstrong also took gold in the 3200. Northport’s Timmy Sheahan was fifth in that race.
• Lady Tiger Katie Hayes took first place in the 1000 as her teammates Kayla Forsch and Kaylee Ryan also finished in the Top 10 in a field of 24. Northport’s Ella Cancro won gold in the 600-meter.
• Three Tiger shot putters finished in the Top six, with Ethan Makaw winning the whole thing. Mason Hecht was third and Karl Schluter was sixth. Makaw broke 44 feet.
• Erik Holden, of Northport, was second in the 55-meter hurdles and Nicholai Seferian, of Huntington, was third, both finishing in under 8.5 seconds.
• James McNaughton and Brandon Cruz of Northport finished one-two in 1000-meter run. Nick Seitz, of Huntington, made the top 10 in a field of 24.
• Andrea Mani-Munoz and Talia Addeo, of Huntington, finished in fourth and sixth in the 1500-meter race walk.
• Chris Payne came in second in the 1600-meter race for Northport as fellow Tiger Thomas Cavuoto was eighth. Both are seniors.
• Blue Devil Nikolai Lulewich was second in the boys high jump with a mark of 5 feet, 8 inches.
• Northport and Huntington were both solid in relays. The boys were second to meet champ Connetquot in the 4 x 200. The Lady Tigers won the 4 x 800 and took third in the 4×400. The Blue Devil Boys won the 4 x 400 relay race as Northport took second in the 4 x 200 and Huntington was third

Commack and Smithtown East

Commack and Smithtown East’s winter track team — girls and boys for both schools — participated in the Section XI League II Championships Jan. 20. Commack had a wildly successful meet as their girls finished first and their boys notched second overall. The Smithtown East girls finished fifth overall in a field of nine, and the boys, who competed as an undermanned squad, finished 10th.

The highlights of the evening for the Cougars and Bulls were as follows:

• Cougar Daniel Pagan won the Boys High Jump competition as the only jumper to scrape 6 feet. GianCarlo DiFava was fifth and Kaden Jacques was seventh for Commack.
• Lady Bull Emma Cawley inched out Lady Cougar Marissa Mauro for second place in the 600-meter run. Cawley was two hundredths of a second ahead of Mauro. Northport’s Ella Cancro won first.
• Nicole Bransfield took silver in the 55-meter hurdles with a mark of 9.22 and Sofia Toepfer, Katheryn Vidulich and Isabella Guido took second, third and fourth in the Long Jump and Vidulich took the gold in High Jump as the only female athlete to reach 5 feet. Toepfer was third in the 300-meter race.
• Emma Cawley was fourth in 300 for Smithtown East.
• Three runners in the Boys 1600 — Vincent Guarino, Sam Byrd and Dylan Manning finished third, fourth and fifth in a field of 23.
• Freshman Ella Murphy was eighth out of 27 in preliminaries of the 55 Meter dash.
• Madeline Pettit won the 1500-meter race walk for the Lady Cougars.
• Smithtown East’s girls did well in the relays finishing third in the 4 x 200 and second in the 4 x 800.
• Julie Thomas won gold in the Girls Shot Put and Gabriella Barth took the bronze. Both are Commack seniors.
• Seville Louissaint was productive on both the Triple Jump and Long Jump, placing second and third, respectively. Angel Reyes and Connor Cherney were third and fifth in the Triple Jump for the Cougars.
• Commack had three runners in the top 10 of the Boys 600-meter. Philip Rosengarten was thrid, DiFava was seventh and Michael McClain was 10th in a field of 28.
• Junior Dester Cuomo was fifth in a field of 27 for the East Bulls in the Boys 1000-meter run.

Ward Melville

Both Ward Melville winter track teams also participated in the Section XI League II Championships Jan. 20. The boys team finished 5th in a field of 10, and the girls were 7th out of nine.

The highlights of the evening for the Patriots were many.

• Patriots Melina Montgomery took second place in the 1000-meter race won by Northport’s Katie Hayes
• Jon Seyfert finished fourth out of a field of 28 in the Boys 600-meter run
• The 4 x 400 girls team came in second to Commack. The Cougars not only won this race but won the entire girls side of the event.
• Brian Liebowitz was only three seconds behind Matt Armstrong of Huntington in the Boys 3200-meter run
• Preston Hickey was fourth in the shotput, one of only seven throwers who made 40 feet. Teddy Lorenzen also made the top 10 in a field of 22

Overall winners

The meet took place at the Suffolk Federal Union Arena on the campus of Suffolk County Community College in Brentwood. Connetquot was the overall boys champion with Commack second and Northport in third. For the girls, Commack finished on top of Connetquot with Northport again in third.

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Centereach senior Evan Grant lays up for two for the Cougars in a road game against Smithtown East. Bill Landon photo
Centereach senior Christopher Buzaid shoots for two for the Cougars in a road game against Smithtown East. Bill Landon photo
Centereach senior Christopher Buzaid lays up for two in a road game against Smithtown East. Bill Landon photo
Centereach senior Tim McCarthy scores for the Cougars in a road game against Smithtown East. Bill Landon photo
Centereach senior Christopher Buzaid shoots for two for the Cougars in a road game against Smithtown East. Bill Landon photo
Centereach senior Xander Torres scores for the Cougars in a road game against Smithtown East. Bill Landon photo
Centereach junior Logan Norman scores for the Cougars in a road game against Smithtown East. Bill Landon photo
Centereach senior Will Kiernan goes to the rim for the Cougars in a road game against Smithtown East. Bill Landon photo
Smithtown East senior Dominic Galati lays up for two in a home game against Centereach. Photo by Bill Landon
Smithtown East senior Dominic Galati shoots for two in a home game against Centereach. Photo by Bill Landon
Smithtown East senior Benjiman Haug drives the baseline in a home game against Centereach. Photo by Bill Landon
Centereach senior Tim McCarthy boxes out for the Cougars in a road game against Smithtown East. Bill Landon photo
Smithtown East senior Traven Pannell shoots two in a home game against Centereach. Photo by Bill Landon
Smithtown East freshman Craig O’neill scores in a home game against Centereach. Photo by Bill Landon
Smithtown East senior Benjiman Haug fights his way to the rim in a home game against Centereach. Photo by Bill Landon
Smithtown East senior Benjiman Haug scores in a home game against Centereach. Photo by Bill Landon

The Bulls of Smithtown East (7-4) needed a win to secure a postseason appearance when they hosted Centereach (7-4) but they fell behind by seven points at the halftime break.

Smithtown East senior Benjiman Haug, however, provided the necessary spark in the third quarter, putting his team out front. The Bulls never looked back, winning the contest, 58-48, in this Division II matchup Monday, Jan. 23. 

Haug finished with 22 points, and teammates James Burton and Dominic Galati netted 12 and 11, respectively.  

Centereach senior Tim McCarthy topped the scoring chart for the Cougars with 10 field goals, a three-pointer and four free throws for 27 points. 

The win lifts Smithtown East to 8-4 in league, 11-4 overall. The loss drops the Cougars to 7-5 with four games remaining before postseason play begins. 

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Ward Melville senior Julia Greek sets the play in a home game against Sachem North. Bill Landon photo
Ward Melville freshman Jaclyn Engel scores for the Patriots in a home game against Sachem North. Bill Landon photo
Ward Melville junior Kaitlyn Lawrence shoots from the baseline for the Patriots in a home game against Sachem North. Bill Landon photo
Rebound.
Ward Melville freshman Jaclyn Engel pushes up-court for the Patriots in a home game against Sachem North. Bill Landon photo
Ward Melville sophomore Emma Bradshaw scores for the Patriots in a home game against Sachem North. Bill Landon photo
Ward Melville senior Pearl Kenny battles in the paint in a home game against Sachem North. Bill Landon photo
Ward Melville senior Catie Edson hits a trey for the Patriots in a home game against Sachem North. Bill Landon photo
Ward Melville senior Catie Edson scores for the Patriots in a home game against Sachem North. Bill Landon photo
Ward Melville senior Julia Greek scores in a home game against Sachem North. Bill Landon photo
Ward Melville junior Grace Balocca drives the baseline in a home game against Sachem North. Bill Landon photo
Ward Melville senior Pearl Kenny lays up for two in a home game against Sachem North. Bill Landon photo
Ward Melville senior Catie Edson (l) looks for the rebound in a home game against Sachem North. Bill Landon photo
Ward Melville senior Julia Greek lets a three-pointer fly in a home game against Sachem North. Bill Landon photo

Sachem North came to do battle with the Patriots of Ward Melville in a League II matchup Jan. 19, where despite many turnovers, Ward Melville’s 3rd quarter performance put the Patriots out front by 16 points.  

Not long into the final eight minutes of play, Ward Melville head coach Andrew Pelosi pulled four of his starters to share the scoring wealth. Floor general Julia Greek, a senior, directed traffic the rest of the way feeding her teammates the ball, providing scoring opportunities for the rest of the bench.  

Greek led with 16 points. Catie Edson banked nine, and Pearl Kenny netted seven. Grace Belocca’s two field goals added four, and Sydney Reyling, Paige Carroll, Kaitlyn Lawrence, Emma Bradshaw and Jaclyn Engel each scored two points apiece. 

The win lifts the Patriots to 9-2, 10-4 overall. 

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Patrick Burke shoots over Chris McHugh. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Patrick Burke. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Nick Waga finishes the game at the free throw line. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Mike Gitz drives on Lorenzo Rappa. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Nick Waga (top) and Lorenzo Rappa. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Nick Waga an Patrick Burke fight for loose ball. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Matt Bannell shoots over Nick Waga. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Matt Bannell drives on Chris McHugh. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Luke Cecere (right) and Lorenzo Rappa. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Benny Hughes (25 and Patrick Burke wrestle for loose ball. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Jack Melore. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Jack Melore. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Patrick Burke is surrounded by Cougars. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Nick Waga tries to get past Landon Schneider. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Lorenzo Rappa. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Devin Spahn goes hard to the basket. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Ethan Meisel. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Ethan Meisel. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Landon Schnieder (right) fights for loose ball with Chris McHugh. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Mike Gitz shoots over Ben Rappa. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Matthew Rosenhoff (10) shoots over Jack Melore. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Chris McHugh goes strong to the basket for Commack. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Nick Waga goes high for rebound. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Luke Cecere. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Luke Cecere looks for a passing lane as Lorenzo Rappa defends. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Patrick Burke shoots over Chris McHugh. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Patrick Burke drives on Nick Waga. Photo by Steven Zaitz

The mighty have officially fallen.

The Commack Boys Basketball team did something nobody had been able to do so far this season – beat the Bulls of Smithtown High School West.

Led by senior guard Mike Gitz, the Cougars dominated the 4th quarter outscoring the Bulls 24-15, in what had been a tight game through three. The final was 68-57. 

Gitz had 12 points in that final period, and it was the second time in two games that Commack dominated a 4th quarter to prevail against a quality league opponent. The Cougars beat the Northport Tigers 62-55 last Saturday in what was also a tight game until late.

With the win, Commack pulls into a tie for first place with Smithtown West, widely regarded as one of the top teams on Long Island, both with records of 10-1 in Conference I play. After dropping their opener to Bay Shore six weeks ago, the Cats have now won 10 in a row.

“The kids really executed the game plan tonight and hit some big shots,” said Commack Head Coach Peter Smith. “This was the first of four road games for us in what will be a tough stretch and I’m glad we started it with a huge win.”

Huge was the theme of the night, and herculean the task of containing Smithtown West Center Patrick Burke, who is 6 feet, 8 inches tall. Burke averages 20 points a game. Commack played a defense by committee against Burke with Cougar power forward Ethan Meisel in the role of committee chair.

“I went out there expecting a battle,” Meisel said. “I just kept focusing on keeping him (Burke) out of the paint. I watched a lot of film leading up to this game to learn what moves he would be looking to make and that helped me in stopping him.”

Burke had 19 points but only three in the 4th quarter.

“Ethan did a great job on Patrick,” Smith said. “But I think we played great help defense tonight, bringing over an off guard to try and keep him bottled up.”

Also bottled up, at least in the 1st half, was Cougar junior guard Nick Waga. Not because of great defense by the Bulls, but because he picked up two early fouls and Smith decided to let him sit. 

 But the fiery Waga started the 2nd half with a bang. With West leading 26-23, he came off a backdoor curl to hit a corner three and tie the game just 10 seconds into the 3rd quarter. That hoop was his first points of the game.  

Waga would finish with 12 points in the quarter, the last three of which coming on a buzzer-beating three pointer to give Commack a 44-42 lead heading into the deciding fourth. He started and ended the period the same way — with long range bombs.

“I had fresh legs and wanted to bring a bunch of energy,” said the 6 foot, 1 inch tall Waga, whose black and blonde wavy coif make him easy to spot on the court. “My teammates motivated me not to put my head down when I was sitting in the first half and we all kept pushing each other to get this win.”

As it was Waga who had fresh legs in the third, it was Gitz who caught fire in the fourth. He hit a runner in the lane to start the period and on the next possession faked out his defender Lorenzo Rappa so badly that Rappa flew in the opposite direction and was absorbed by pick-setting Cougar Chris McHugh, as Gitz casually hit a wide-open three. 

It gave the Cougars a seven-point lead and this move, that drew “oohs” and “aahs” from both Cougar and Bull fans alike, might have been the death blow to Smithtown West’s dreams of an undefeated season. With six and a half minutes remaining, the Bulls called a timeout as the buzz of the crowd was still loud enough to drown out West’s pep band. 

“I work on that move a lot,” said Gitz, who led all scorers with 21. “I try to use jabs and pump fakes to get the defenders off balance. It was great to hear the crowd after making that play and both the basket and the crowd was a big swing of momentum for us.”

The momentum would stay with Commack, as West would never recover. The Cougar lead ballooned to 14 with three minutes remaining in the game when Gitz drove past Rappa in the lane for a layup.

The rest of the game rendered a formality, Commack gladly went to the free throw line to seal it, and for the second straight game, they closed out a quality conference foe and arch enemy.

“We stay true to our game plan and execute down the stretch,” said Gitz on his team’s ability finish off opponents. “Plus, I think we want it more.”

Now the Cougars truly have what they wanted – a victory over the number one ranked team in Suffolk County and first place in the league with six games to go. Is he thinking about meeting the Bulls in playoffs next month?

“We are going to enjoy this win tonight and focus on West Islip on Thursday,” Smith said. “The ship keeps on going forward and you hope for the best.”

On this night, Smith and his Cougars not only beat the best, but now find themselves in a position to merit consideration as the best.

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Rebound. Photo by Bill Landon
Mount Sinai’s Dominic Pennzello battles Comsewogue's Austin Nesbitt for the rebound. Photo by Bill Landon
Comsewogue senior Hayden Morris-Gray goes to the rim for the Warriors. Photo by Bill Landon
Comsewogue senior Hayden Morris-Gray goes to the rim. Photo by Bill Landon
Comsewogue senior Hayden Morris-Gray drives the lane. Photo by Bill Landon
Warrior Nation. Photo by Bill Landon
Mount Sinai timeout. Photo by Bill Landon
Mount Sinai senior Derrek Shechter hits a three-pointer. Photo by Bill Landon
Comsewogue senior Colin Strohm scores. Photo by Bill Landon
Mount Sinai senior Thomas Frycek scores for the Mustangs. Photo by Bill Landon
Comsewogue senior Austin Nesbitt shoots for the Warriors. Photo by Bill Landon
Mount Sinai senior Drew Feinstein with a monster dunk. Photo by Bill Landon
Comsewogue junior Chris Beverly scores. Photo by Bill Landon
Mount Sinai senior Drew Feinstein with a monster dunk. Photo by Bill Landon
Comsewogue senior Hayden Morris-Gray shoots for two. Photo by Bill Landon
Mount Sinai senior Chris Paz lays up for two. Photo by Bill Landon
Mount Sinai junior Mo Castillo shoots from long distance. Photo by Bill Landon
Mount Sinai sophomore Dominic Pennzello lays up for two. Photo by Bill Landon
Mount Sinai junior Mo Castillo lays up for two. Photo by Bill Landon
Comsewogue senior Austin Nesbitt goes to the rim. Photo by Bill Landon
Comsewogue senior Hayden Morris-Gray nails a three-pointer. Photo by Bill Landon
Mount Sinai senior Derrek Shechter drives the lane. Photo by Bill Landon
Mount Sinai senior Drew Feinstein lays up for two. Photo by Bill Landon
Comsewogue senior Austin Nesbitt nails a three-pointer. Photo by Bill Landon
Mount Sinai senior Drew Feinstein scores. Photo by Bill Landon
Mount Sinai senior Thomas Frycek shoots from the baseline. Photo by Bill Landon

It was a battle between two talented scorers Wednesday, Jan. 18, when the Mount Sinai Mustangs came knocking on Comsewogue’s door for a League IV divisional matchup.

Mount Sinai’s Drew Feinstein went head-to-head with Comsewogue’s Hayden Morris-Gray. Feinstein, averaging 26.9 points per game, led the Mustangs with 32 points, lifting his team to a 71-58 road victory. 

Dominic Pennzello followed Feinstein with 19 points for the Mustangs, and Derrek Shechter notched another eight.

Morris-Gray topped the scoring chart for the Warriors with 25 points, hitting five triples and five field goals on the day. Teammates Colin Strohm netted 16, and Austin Nesbitt banked 10.

The win lifts Mount Sinai to 7-1, clinching a postseason playoff berth. The loss drops Comsewogue to 7-2, with six games remaining in regular season play.

— Photos by Bill Landon



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