Northport girl’s basketball victorious over Smithtown East 59-28
By Steven Zaitz
Northport Senior forward Claire Fitzpatrick scored 20 points to lead the Lady Tigers to a 59-28 victory over Smithtown East on Tuesday night.
Fitzpatrick, who transferred back to Northport after a year at St. Mary hit on four of her seven three-point attempts and had 10 points in the first quarter to set the pace for the Tigers, who improved to 2-0 on the young season. Smithtown East drops their second consecutive game to even their record at 2-2. Senior Meredith Brennan led the Lady Red Bulls with eight points.
But it was Northport’s Fitzpatrick who set the pace, calmly hitting open jumpers and spinning in the lane to help open up a 23-9 early in the second quarter for the Tigers. The score would stay that way for a stretch of five minutes, as both teams played hot potato with the basketball — turning it over a combined nine times in the quarter. Northport would go into their halftime locker room leading 28-9, completely shutting out Smithtown East in the second quarter.
Tiger Sophomore guard Ava DeMarco nailed a pair of three in the third quarter and the Bulls had no answer for Northport’s physical style. Northport out-rebounded Smithtown East 32-22 for the game and the Tigers led 48-22 after Fitzpatrick hit a triple midway through the quarter — her fourth three-pointer of the game.
DeMarco finished with 11 points and senior guard Hallie Gilmartin had 7, two of which came on a gorgeous reverse layup in the fourth quarter. Her sister, junior Grace Gilmartin had 2 points and 4 rebounds.
Northport 8th grader Lyla Quinn had five points, including a three-pointer. Brennan’s sister Carolyn, also in 8th grade, had 7 points for East. Junior Emily Giordano had six points and senior Isabella Moragiemos had five for the Lady Red Bulls.
Smithtown East will travel to Newfield on Dec. 12th to take on the Wolverines and Northport is home against North Babylon, also on Dec. 12th.
The win was Northport Head Coach Rich Castellano’s 755th of his career — adding to his record of most wins in the history of girls high school basketball on Long Island.
