Suffolk I girls basketball preview
Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 08 Dec 2019:
LONGWOOD LIONS
Last season: 23-3
Coach: James Castiglione
KEY PLAYERS
Angelene Bailey C 6-0 Jr.; Janelle Brown PG 5-5 Sr.; Bryanna Picton G 5-5 Sr.; Taydra Simpson G 5-9 So.; Shanyah Wilson F 5-9 So.
ABOUT THE LIONS: The reigning Suffolk and Long Island AA champions are looking to defend their title, led by the Fairfield-bound Brown, who averaged 14 points, 5 assists and 4 steals per game last season.
Longwood 73, Central Islip 31: Janelle Brown scored 31 points, including the 1,000th of her career on a layup with six minutes left in the fourth quarter, and added 10 rebounds and nine steals to lead Longwood in a Suffolk I opener. – Dec. 14
Longwood 58, St. John the Baptist 31: Janelle Brown had 24 points, seven rebounds and six steals to lead Longwood (7-0) in non-league. Dec. 19
Longwood 63, Sachem East 43: Janelle Brown had 24 points, six rebounds, four steals and three assists to lead Longwood (4-0) in Suffolk I. Jan. 5
CLARK DISPLAYS HER VERSATILITY ON COURT: LI Lutheran guard makes four threes, scores 26 points
O’Brien, Owen. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 19 Jan 2020:
Nobody should leave Paris Clark in the corner.
The Long Island Lutheran guard is not someone you want to give any separation to on the perimeter. She has the speed to get herself to any spot on the court, square up and with a bevy of playmakers on the Crusaders’ girls basketball team, Clark has an uncanny ability to knock down a shot.
The sophomore made four three-pointers in the first half – all coming from the corner – and finished with 26 points as host Long Island Lutheran defeated Longwood, 69-29, in non-league girls basketball Saturday afternoon.
“I don’t really know why,” Clark said with a laugh, “but it’s just my spot.”
Clark has already emerged as one of the top shooters on Long Island. And even though her spot may have been in the corner Saturday, coach Rich Slater said Clark can make shots from anywhere on the floor.
“We transition and try to get the ball to her at certain spots,” he said. “And it just ended up being that’s where she was today.”
But Clark is quick to pass the praise off to her teammates, as the team’s on-court cohesion was on display throughout the contest. Long Island Lutheran (13-0) shared the ball and passed up good shots for great shots.
“Our chemistry is really good,” said Kaylene Smikle, who added 21 points. “There’s no selfishness, we pass the ball without any consequence. It’s very important because that’s how you win games – with good chemistry.”
“They are enjoyable to coach,” Slater said. “I just like the togetherness that they have and as long as they keep enjoying themselves and share the basketball, everything else will take care of itself.”
After taking a 34-19 lead into halftime, the Crusaders outscored Longwood 21-3 in the third quarter, including holding the Lions without a second-half field goal until 4:44 remaining in the fourth quarter.
“I feel like we just needed to turn it up a little bit and in the first half we weren’t as aggressive as we usually are,” Clark said. “So after halftime, coach talked to us and we just picked it up.”
Bryanna Picton had 17 points, including five three-pointers, for Longwood (12-3).
The expectations at Long Island Lutheran are always high, and this year is no exception. After losing to eventual federation Class AA champion Christ the King in the semifinals last season, the Crusaders hope to take home their first title since 2015 – maybe even in a perfect season.
“We want to go undefeated,” Smikle said, “and win state
They’re back! New-look Baldwin girls basketball tops Longwood
By Desiree Mathurin[email protected]December 28, 2018
The ball was in the court of both teams Friday night.
Though the Baldwin girls’ basketball team was at home for its 18th annual Girl’s Holiday Tournament, it has a fairly new starting lineup and faced undefeated Longwood.
But the Bruins brought it home.
Baldwin defeated Longwood, 56-47, in a non-league game, letting everyone know the Bruins still are one of the top teams, despite the new faces.
“The win put in people’s minds where Baldwin is right now,” forward Elena Randolph said. “It’s important to show people what we can do and that we’re coming back strong.”
Said guard Alexis Aponte: “The win means a lot to us. We wanted to come out tonight and show everyone that Baldwin is still the same Baldwin. We’re the same hardworking kids and we’re ready for anything.”
Aponte and Randolph are among the new starters on a team that went 26-1 last season. The program won its second straight Class AA state title and the Federation tournament (although Randolph was the sixth woman on that squad).
However, neither was afraid of the limelight Friday. Randolph played excellent defense, holding one of Longwood’s best players to single-digit points.
Aponte was 3-for-3 from behind the three-point arc and totaled 14 points, seven rebound and four assists.
“I don’t make those shots often,” Aponte said with a laugh. “But I’ve been working on my three-point range and it was nice to make some of them.”
Baldwin (3-1) maintained the lead throughout the game. With two minutes left in the third quarter, Longwood (5-1) was within striking distance after a steal and a layup by Janelle Brown (13 points), followed by her three-pointer.
It seemed as if Longwood had captured the momentum, but the Bruins tightened up on defense.
“We never put our heads down,” Kaia Harrison said. “Even when we saw them coming back, we have to remind ourselves to stay aggressive and remain tough-minded.”
Harrison, Baldwin’s lone returning starter, was the leading scorer with 16 points. She ended the game on a high note by hitting a three and tantalizing the crowd with her dribbling skills.
“Last year’s team set the bar really high,” Harrison said. “We ended up being No. 4 in the country. Although the seniors graduated, they still left their mark on us. The win today helped us develop more as a team and gave us a sneak peek into the season.”
“We reflect on last year to keep us motivated,” Randolph said. “Our program always stays the same. It’s Baldwin basketball.”
Longwood 78, Brentwood 31: Janelle Brown had 21 points, nine assists and seven steals, and Angelene Bailey had 10 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks for Longwood (8-1). – Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 26 Jan 2020:
Bailey delivers for Longwood: Gets 12 points and 17 rebounds as defending champ advances to final
Boell, John. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 23 Feb 2020:
Say one thing for Angelene Bailey, she’s a quick study.
Bailey played sparingly last season, spending most of her sophomore season on the bench as the Longwood girls basketball team won the Long Island Class AA championship. She scored just 40 points last season.
“Now my teammates,” Bailey said, “need me to step up my game.”
Step up is exactly what Bailey has done. The 6-footer had 12 points, 17 rebounds and five blocks as defending champ and second-seeded Longwood defeated No. 3 Half Hollow Hills East, 41-29, in a Suffolk AA semifinals at Centereach High School on Saturday.
Another fact about Bailey: she only started playing basketball in eighth grade.
“We had a play and we added a new wrinkle, emphasizing getting [Bailey] the ball down low,” Longwood coach James Castiglione said. “Her shots weren’t falling early but it was a testament to her that she kept grinding it out.”
Bailey had just four points but added six rebounds and three blocks in the first half as the Lions led 19-13. Taydra Simpsoncarried the scoring load for Longwood (20-3) with 11 points in the opening half. She finished with 13 points and six rebounds.
Simpson also drew the tough assignment of guarding Hills East’s Remi Sisselman, who is fourth in Suffolk in scoring at 22.2 points per game in statistics reported to Newsday.
Sisselman had 11 of the Thunderbirds’ 13 first-half points. But Simpson, with help from Bailey, limited Sisselman (18 points) to one field goal and five free throws in the second half as Hills East (14-7) was never closer than nine points, 33-24, in the fourth quarter due to Longwood’s tenacious defense.
Bailey — who had 15 points and 16 rebounds in a quarterfinal win against North Babylon — had four points in each of the third and fourth quarters, and hauled in 11 rebounds, including six offensive boards, in the final 16 minutes.
Longwood meets Northport (20-2) in a rematch of last season’s AA championship game at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at St. Joseph’s (Patchogue). (Longwood won a year ago, 45-43.).
“This is a completely different group from last year,” Castiglione said. “We graduated three seniors who I’d had for four years. This group has a completely different dynamic . . . and Janelle is the difference maker.”
Senior point guard Janelle Brown is the catalyst for Longwood and finished with 10 points, 6 assists and 4 steals.
“Angelene is the biggest player on the court and she has the biggest heart,” Brown said. “I kept getting her the ball and giving her a chance, and in the second half she showed out.”
CAPTION: Angelene Bailey, a 6-foot junior, blocked five shots to help Lions advance to rematch of last season’s AA title game with Northport on Saturday. Bob Sorensen
Boell, John. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 01 Mar 2020:
Usually when it comes to the movies, the sequel doesn’t measure up the original.
But that was not the case for the Northport girls basketball team Saturday night when the Tigers met Longwood for the second straight season for the Suffolk Class AA championship.
Longwood won by two points a year ago, but this time it was Northport’s turn. Danielle Pavinelli had an outstanding performance with 21 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists as the top-seeded Tigers captured their first Suffolk AA crown since 2006 after a 60-50 win against No. 2 Longwood before a crowd of 1,000 at St. Joseph’s College’s Danzi Athletic Center on Saturday night.
“This game means everything,” said Pavinelli, who will attend the University of Florida on a lacrosse scholarship. “We have been thinking about [a possible rematch] since we walked out of Walt Whitman [High School, site of the 2019 Suffolk AA championship] with this in the back of our minds since then.”
Northport (21-2) meets Westhampton for the Suffolk overall championship at 5 p.m. Thursday at Ward Melville High School. Northport has a Suffolk-record nine overall county titles. (Westhampton is in search of its first.) Shanyah Wilson had 13 points and six rebounds for Longwood — which won the Class AA and Suffolk overall championships last season — and ends up 20-4.
The Tigers hadn’t won a Suffolk championship since a three-year run of titles from 2004 through 2006. It took the Suffolk overall championship in 2006, and last won a Long Island crown in 2004. Northport will meet the Nassau representative (which has yet to be determined) on Sunday, March 15 at St. Joseph’s College for the Long Island Class AA championship.
After a thrilling first three quarters, both teams started the fourth quarter cold. A driving layup by Kelly McLaughlin (9 points) with 2:47 remaining in the game gave Northport a 53-46 lead.
Later, Pavinelli added a pair of free throws with 1:16 to go and the lead grew to 56-47. Longwood would never get closer than seven (56-49) as Northport was content to run a weave that melted the clock and the Lions’ season.
Angelene Bailey had 11 points and eight rebounds, and Janelle Brown added nine points, six assists and five rebounds for Longwood, which made just two field goals the entire fourth quarter. Pavinelli scored seven points in the final period.
“Danielle is our go-to-player, our captain, our leader,” Northport coach Rich Castellano said. “She’s a coach’s dream . . . She’s the reason why we are here. She carried us on her backs, and the rest of the girls helped out and were willing to be carried.”
Which made for one heck of a sequel.