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By Steven Zaitz

Every coach on any level will tell you that there is no “I” in team.

But for the Walt Whitman Lady Wildcat basketball squad, there certainly is an Iris.

All Long Island point guard, captain and bona fide floor commander Iris Hoffman of the 2022 Suffolk County champions scorched the Lady Tigers on opening night at Northport for 23 points, including a long three-pointer to seal the game with 27 seconds remaining. The final score was 46-40 in a rematch of the county final — also won by the Lady Wildcats in comeback fashion — that took place at Stony Brook University nine months ago.

In a back-and-forth game that saw five different lead changes, the Lady Tigers — who have a star of their own in senior forward Kennedy Radziul — trimmed a six-point Wildcat lead to one in the final minute of the game. Radziul, who finished with 20 points and 13 in the 4th quarter, hit a left-handed layup, made a leaping steal at midcourt and converted a three-point play when she scored and was fouled.

All of this occurred in 15 seconds and not only brought Northport to within one point, but it also pitched the home crowd into a frenzy. Whitman called a timeout as Radziul’s teammates mobbed her for her momentum-shifting heroics. The score was 41-40 with 48 seconds to go in regulation time when the Wildcats would next inbound.

“Coming out of the timeout, I knew I was going to have the ball in my hands,” said Hoffman, who has played on the Whitman varsity team since the eighth grade. “I had an open shot early in the possession, but I didn’t take it because I wanted to run more clock. We worked the ball around, making their defense move. I got the ball again and was wide open. The second the ball left my hand, I knew it was going in.”

Hoffman was right — and it gave the reigning champs a two-possession essentially lead to seal the game.

“Iris is a special player, and she showed why tonight,” said Northport head coach Rich Castellano, who was denied his 737th career victory. “They are one of the toughest teams in the county, and we hung in against them. We just turned the ball over too much tonight.”

The Lady Tigers committed 18 turnovers as they are still trying to configure their situation at guard. Payson Hedges and Emma Kezys graduated last June and there were some definite signs of opening night jitters in Castellano’s backcourt that led to giveaways and easy baskets for the Lady Wildcats.

Despite the sloppy play, Northport took a 17-15 lead into halftime. Senior captain Kaylie Walsh hit two bombs in the first quarter and another in the second to lead all scorers in the first half with nine points. Hoffman had eight.

Whitman forward Kathleen O’Mara had two quick buckets to start the third quarter that would spark a 15-5 run and give Whitman a 30-22 lead with two minutes to go in the period. Northport would get points from only one player in the quarter, and it was sophomore forward Grace Gilmartin with 7, who showed good mobility and hustle coming off the bench.

“I told the girls at halftime that whoever won the third quarter was going to win the game,” said Castellano. “We play the same type of tight game with this team every time we face them, and two of their stars really played well in that quarter. It was too much for us to overcome.”

The senior O’Mara finished with 13 points and eight rebounds, and the lead for the team from South Huntington would balloon to 13 with seven minutes remaining in the game. It looked like things were getting away from the Lady Tigers.

But Radziul made Castellano’s prophecy come true, as this game would go down to the wire. She hit a spinner in the lane and a three pointer to make it a six-point game with three minutes on the clock. 

The Wildcat lead would stay at six until Radziul’s one-person, lightning ambush to cut it one with less than a minute to go. But Hoffman made sure that was as close as the Lady Tigers would get.

“I always want the ball in that situation,” Hoffman said. “I’ve been playing point guard since my sophomore year, and I think that I thrive under the pressure,” adding, “I’m used to it.”

If there is one thing the Lady Tigers — who were 21-2 last season and undefeated at home — are not used to, it is losing.