Girls Basketball Preview :

Lauterbach, Jordan. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 12 Dec 2021

LONGWOOD LIONS

Last Season: 7-1

Coach: James Castiglione

KEY PLAYERS

Kaylee Graham, 5-8, G, Soph.; Giselle Harris, 5-9, G, Fr.; Autumn Simon, 6-1, C, Soph.; Taydra Simpson, 5-9, G, Sr.; Hannah Thompson, 5-5, G, Sr.

ABOUT THE LIONS: They are the three-time defending Suffolk I champions, beating Whitman in the championship game last winter. Simpson averaged 18 points, 13 rebounds, and eight assists last season and is drawing Division I interest. Simon is entering her first varsity season and has huge upside. Harris, while only a freshman, got some minutes as an eighth grader.

A grand time: Longwood’s Taydra Simpson joins 1,000-point club

Taydra Simpson joined the 1,000-point scorers club her own way. 

Although she’s a five-year varsity player, the Longwood senior hasn’t been one to dominate the shot chart. Simpson has played with two other 1,000-point scorers at Longwood and has needed to adapt to a new role each season. 

“It’s not like she started in eighth or ninth grade as a volume kid putting up those kinds of numbers,” coach James Castiglione said. “She’s always bought in and put her teammates and the program first. To be gifted her is a once-in-a-lifetime type of thing.” 

Simpson scored her 1,000th point in a 24-point effort as Longwood defeated Brentwood, 50-25, on Thursday. She now has 1,019 varsity points. Simpson is averaging 22.7 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists and seven steals per game this season for a 10-1 Longwood squad. 

The 5-9 guard has welcomed her changing role each season, always looking to do what’s best for the team – even if she never thought of herself as a pure scorer.

“I’ve just trusted myself more and became more confident when on the court just knowing that I can also score as much as the next person,” Simpson said. “I knew when more players graduated and moved on, I had to take their place.” 

Castiglione said there have been times he needed to push Simpson to generate her own shot more – something that usually isn’t common among 1,000-point scorers. 

“She doesn’t go into a game and say ‘I need to score 40 so everyone knows who I am,’ ” Castiglione said. “She gets everyone involved, she executes the game plan and she’s the best defensive player I’ve ever seen.” 

Simpson has been called upon in key moments since her freshman season. She made pivotal three-pointers as a freshman in a Long Island championship victory and guarded Aubrey Griffin – later a standout at UConn – in the state tournament. 

“If you went into a factory and you needed someone to develop and make the perfect basketball player,” Castiglione said, “she’s it.” 

Simpson still has her eyes set on another county title before graduating. Although scoring certainly doesn’t define her on the court, she’s proud of reaching 1,000 points, especially with a shortened junior season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“It’s such a special moment,” Simpson said. “It just feels a little unreal just playing for so long and to get to this monumental moment in a high school basketball career.”

10 THINGS TO WATCH IN BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS

O’Brien, Owen. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 13 Feb 2022

Class AA parity 

There have been nine different Suffolk Class AA champions in the last 10 seasons. The parity from season to season is unparalleled and this year is no exception. Emily Plachta (Huntington) and Taydra Simpson (Longwood) are two dynamic playmakers that could lead their teams to titles. Other strong teams to watch include Northport, Commack, Whitman and Half Hollow Hills East.

Sophomore Kaylee Graham delivers for Longwood in Class AA semifinal

Kaylee Graham scored all 13 of her points in the fourth quarter to help Longwood defeat Whitman in the Suffolk Class AA girls basketball semifinals on Friday, Feb. 25, 2022. Credit: Pablo Garcia Corradi

By Owen O’Brienowen.o’[email protected]February 25, 2022

Kaylee Graham admitted she felt the nerves of entering a crowded gymnasium with a trip to the county finals at stake. But with the help of her teammates, the Longwood sophomore began to settle in as the game went on. And when her team needed her most, Graham delivered.

Graham scored all 13 of her points in the fourth quarter as top-seeded Longwood defeated No. 5 Whitman, 42-29, in a Suffolk Class AA girls basketball semifinal at Bay Shore Friday afternoon.

Longwood (20-1) advances to play No. 2 Northport (21-1) in the Suffolk Class AA final at 12 p.m. on March 5 at Smithtown East. Whitman finishes 18-4.

“I got hot, so I was excited,” Graham said. “I was nervous at first but then I got used to playing in front of a big crowd. I was not there mentally at first, but I got better and I adjusted and with the help of my teammates, I excelled and got better.”

She had 13 of Longwood’s 18 points in the fourth quarter, including a three-pointer with 3:16 remaining to give Longwood a 35-26 advantage. Graham also knocked down all six of her free-throw attempts.

“She grew up tonight,” coach James Castiglione said. “She did a lot of things she’s been capable of doing and she’s kind of always got in the way of herself. But she didn’t allow that to happen tonight.”

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Graham said. “It’s not something you get all the time. It’s just there so you have to enjoy the moment while you can.”

Taydra Simpson added 13 points, seven rebounds, two assists and three steals in the win. She scored eight points in the first quarter, as Longwood opened a 16-7 lead after the opening period. Giselle Harris added 12 points, including eight in the first half.

“It’s definitely key to start off strong,” Simpson said. “You can’t start flat because then the other team can get confidence and you have to shut that down as soon as the game starts.”

Longwood advances to its fourth straight championship game. The Lions won the Suffolk Conference I title last season, lost in the county final in 2020 and won a county championship in 2019. Simpson, a five-year varsity player, has been a key part of all those teams.

“She’s had to do a lot of heavy lifting for us for a long time,” Castiglione said. “There’s a direct correlation between Taydra Simpson coming into our program as an eighth-grader and us winning.”

It will be the third time in four years Northport and Longwood meet in the Suffolk Class AA final. The two met in the semifinals last season.

“We’ll lace them up and play, it’s exciting,” Castiglione said. “You have the one seed and the two seed and you go out there and tip your cap at the end.”

Taydra Simpson leads top seed Longwood to Suffolk Class AA girls basketball title

Longwood players celebrate with their championship plaque after their win against Northport for the Suffolk Class AA girls basketball championship on Saturday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke

By Christopher Matias[email protected]March 5, 2022

The Longwood section of the crowd erupted when Taydra Simpson high-fived her coach and stepped off the court. With the reserves entering the game, the sweet taste of victory was just seconds away. 

Longwood beat Northport, 65-54, in the Suffolk Class AA girls basketball final Saturday afternoon at Smithtown East High School. The top-seeded Lions were led by Simpson with 28 points. Giselle Harris scored 15 points. The No. 2 Lady Tigers were paced by Sophia Yearwood’s 15 points. 

Simpson was visibly frustrated early on. The senior’s early struggles reached their peak during a sequence where she missed three shots at the rim on a single trip down the floor. 

Yearwood came out hot for Northport (21-2) by drilling three shots from long distance as Northport took a 21-11 lead after the first quarter. 

The tide shifted in the second quarter as Simpson found her footing. She converted two shots in the paint and knocked down a three-pointer as Longwood cut its deficit to just three at the half. 

“It was just knowing that this could be our last game and then pushing through that,” Simpson said. “We had to play our heart out and just leave it all on the floor.” 

In the third quarter neither team was able to grab an advantage of more than four points. The two teams exchanged leads five times in the period.

The Longwood defense was able to wear down Northport by the fourth quarter, holding the Lady Tigers to just eight points. This was Northport’s lowest scoring quarter of the game. 

Harris, a freshman, helped key a 9-1 run for Longwood as she got two transition layups off Northport turnovers. The run put Longwood up nine with just over two minutes remaining. 

“I was just focused, I was locked in,” Harris said. “I just keyed in on what I could do to help my team change the score.” 

The Longwood defense impressed in its ability to hold down key players for Northport. They held Yearwood to just three points after halftime and Northport’s top scorer Sophia Bica to just seven points. 

“That’s Taydra Simpson, there’s not a kid in the county who has scored much against Taydra,” Longwood coach James Castiglione said. “She’s the best defender I’ve ever coached, she knew she had to play lockdown defense.” 

Simpson was the primary defender on Bica. Her contributions on the defensive end were just as important as the points she scored. 

“Coach is amazing, and he’s really brought a lot out of me playing for him the last five years,” Simpson said. “He has always believed in me and that really means a lot to me.” 

Longwood (21-1) advances to the Suffolk overall title game on Monday where it will play on its home court against small schools champ West Babylon (20-3). Longwood also earned a spot in the AA Regionals on March 12th at Eastport-South Manor High School. 

Simpson scored 28 points and Harris had 15 as Longwood (21-1) pulled away from No. 2 Northport in the fourth quarter. Longwood advances to the state AA regionals on March 12 at Eastport High School.

Taydra Simpson shakes off fall to lead Longwood girls basketball in Suffolk overall final

Longwood forward Taydra Simpson attempts the three point shot against West Babylon, Monday, March 7, 2022 in the Suffolk Girls high school overall finals at Longwood. Credit: George A Faella

By Owen O’Brienowen.o’[email protected]March 7, 2022

Taydra Simpson hit the floor hard and stayed down for probably the longest minute of the season for Longwood girls basketball fans.

She was tangled up shortly following a layup by West Babylon’s Lacey Downey with 1:39 remaining in the first quarter. Trainers came to her side, but Simpson knew she just had the wind knocked out of her. It was going to take more than that to keep her out of the Suffolk overall final.

“I just knew I needed a second,” Simpson said. “I was going to get back out there.”

Simpson returned less than a minute later and finished with 18 points and five steals as Longwood defeated West Babylon, 64-43, in the girls basketball Suffolk overall final Monday evening at Longwood High School.

“You know your kid and I knew she was OK,” coach James Castiglione said. “You know the warrior she is and that wasn’t going to take her out. She wasn’t going to finish her senior year playing her last home game here sitting next to our assistants.”

Downey led West Babylon to a strong start, scoring nine points in the opening period and taking a 20-13 lead. But Longwood closed the final 3:14 of the second period on a 7-0 run to tie the score at 27 entering halftime.

The Lions led, 42-37, after the third quarter and outscored West Babylon, 22-6, in the fourth.

“This was a major goal for us,” said Giselle Harris, who had 19 points. “Not many people get to be here, and we do. And we weren’t going to waste it.”

Harris, a freshman, scored eight points in the third quarter as Castiglione said he’s seen tremendous improvement from her all season.

“The growth that she’s made over the course of the year is probably the most dramatic we’ve had in the program in 10 years,” he said. “She gives us another scorer, another player teams have to prepare for and she’s a shotmaker.”

Simpson scored nine of her 18 points in the fourth quarter.

“That time is always Taydra Simpson time,” Castiglione said. “It’s just her five years of being in wars and being able to get people settled in. That’s always her time.”

Danielle Wenzek added 16 points for Longwood and Downey had 12 points for West Babylon.

West Babylon (20-4) will play Plainedge in the Long Island Class A championship/Southeast Regional Final at Eastport-South Manor High School Saturday at 11 a.m. Longwood (21-1) and Baldwin (16-4) follow in the Long Island Class AA championship/Southeast Regional Final at 1:30 p.m.

“This is all we’ve ever wanted,” Wenzek said. “Especially for us seniors. We want to go upstate and we want to take it all.”

“Coach [Tom] Catapano, he’s established them as the flagship program on Long Island,” Castiglione said. “The last decade, it’s so impressive what coach has done over there. … We’re going to go out there and play for 32 minutes and see what happens.”

Longwood defeated Baldwin, 48-43, in the 2019 Long Island Class AA final.

“It’s going to be a challenge because they are very athletic,” Wenzek said. “But I think our team is up to it.”

Baldwin fulfills dream: Beats Longwood to reach state AA semifinals

O’Brien, Owen. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 13 Mar 2022

Dallysshya Moreno and her teammates will never forget the feeling of being told in a Baldwin gymnasium in March 2020 that their season was over. 

The Bruins were feeling confident after winning their seventh straight county title heading into a Long Island final with hopes of traveling for the state semifinals. But the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic put an end to those dreams. 

The seniors and juniors on that team never got the opportunity to play in a postseason basketball game again. 

“It broke us, I’m not going to lie,” Moreno said. “When they told us in the gym, we all started to cry. We couldn’t talk for like 2-3 days, I couldn’t go to school for a week because it was so sad.” 

Moreno was a freshman at the time. She never took anything for granted in her junior season this winter and was determined to lead her teammates to the state tournament. Moreno had 12 points and 15 rebounds as Baldwin defeated Longwood, 53-32, in the girls basketball Long Island Class AA championship/Southeast Regional Final at Eastport-South Manor High School Saturday afternoon. 

Baldwin (17-4) advances to play the winner of Cicero-North Syracuse/Albany in the state Class AA semifinals at Troy’s Hudson Valley Community College Friday at 3:15 p.m. Longwood finishes 21-2. 

It’s Baldwin’s first trip to the state semifinals since 2018 after losing to Longwood in the same game in 2019. 

“It’s come full round circle and we’re happy we came out on top this time,” Moreno said. … “We wanted to come out and do it for all the people we want to make proud and all the people who have made sacrifices.” 

Baldwin used a huge first quarter to pull away from Longwood, opening the contest on a 13-4 run and leading 21-8 after the first period. 

“We definitely needed it, especially from last week, we knew we couldn’t come out slow out of the gate,” said Renelle Grannum, who had a game-high 16 points. “Longwood is a great team. We knew we had to fight in order to win this game and that’s what we did.” 

“It definitely set our energy and set our tone to say, ‘We are here and we’re not going anywhere,'” Moreno said. ‘”We’re here to stay and we’re here to win a championship.”‘ 

The Bruins opened a 36-21 lead at halftime and led 43-23 after the third quarter. Everything all season has been focused on the state championships for Baldwin. 

“It’s like a carrot dangling in front of a rabbit,” Moreno said. “That’s the most important thing, just winning. That’s all we care about no matter what we need to do to get it. As long as we get the ‘W’, we’re good.” 

Payton Dulin added 15 points for Baldwin, which played a tough pressure defense from the opening whistle. Katelyn Simpson embraced the challenge of guarding Longwood standout Taydra Simpson, and Moreno credited Simpson for neutralizing the star guard. 

“That’s the one thing that always travels with us is our defense,” coach Tom Catapano said. “The kids work tremendously hard every day at it. Tonight finally our shots were falling so that was a relief.” 

Baldwin has also played with a heavy heart throughout the year after the passing of assistant coach Anthony Bolden, who died Sept. 7 of complications from pulmonary fibrosis. The Bruins traveled with a pixelated picture of Bolden, which was constructed as a middle school class project in a class taught by Phil Zirkuli, Baldwin Athletic Director Ed Ramirez said. 

“He’s here every step of the way,” Moreno said. “Even if he’s not physically here, he’s here in spirit. Trust me, he’s here.” 

“It’s been a tough year,” Catapano said with tears in his eyes. “But we carry him with us through everything.”

CAPTION: Baldwin its victory over Longwood for Class AA Long Island title. George A Faella

Suffolk Player 

of the Year

TAYDRA SIMPSON

There’s nothing Simpson doesn’t and won’t do for her team on a basketball court.

Simpson was the focal point of every aspect of the game for Longwood as she led the Lions to the Suffolk Class AA championship. She averaged 21 points, 11.2 rebounds, 9.2 assists and 5.4 steals per game en route to being named Newsday’s Suffolk Player of the Year.

The Longwood senior never let injuries affect her game, many of those from the toll of playing five years of physical varsity basketball. And she had some of her best performances against top teams, including 28 points in a 65-54 victory over Northport in the Suffolk Class AA final.

Suffolk Coach 

of the Year

JAMES CASTIGLIONE

Longwood

He guided Longwood to its second Suffolk Class AA and overall championship since 2019.