The Sachem High School East girls basketball team beat Massapequa, 55-50, to win the Class AA Long Island championship Friday night at Hofstra’s David S. Mack Arena.
Sachem East (21-2) advances to the New York State Public High School final four, which is held at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, N.Y. on March 15-17. The Arrows will face Ossining or Monroe-Woodbury in the state semifinals.
Katie Doherty and Kathleen Everson both led Sachem with 18 points each in the victory. Massapequa’s Lauren Van Buren led all scorers with 19 points.
“Each win is one step closer to the final goal and now we’re even closer,” said Everson.
Massapequa (18-1) kept the game within reach for most of the contest, but it wasn’t a nailbiter until Rachel Sieber sunk a three-point shot to push the Chiefs within striking distance, trailing, 53-50 with 44 seconds left in the contest.
After Massapequa recorded a foul in order to stop the clock, Sachem East missed a free throw and recovered the loose ball. Sammy Drake hit two more free throws with 15.2 seconds left to push Sachem ahead, 55-50.
“I had complete confidence in my team,” said Doherty about the closing stretch of the game. “They came out hard and didn’t want to lose. We stayed as strong as we normally would and that’s what helped us win the game.”
Sachem East led 23-16 after the first half, but both teams combined for 42 points in the third quarter. Sachem East led, 44-37, and were sparked by back-to-back three-point baskets from Doherty.
Even though Massapequa had more size and depth on its bench, Sachem’s strategy and effective use of all of its pieces led them to the promise land. If it wasn’t their staple pieces on Everson and Doherty leading the way, it was the valiant effort of the Drake sisters – Sammy and Allie – on the boards, or the role playing of Emily Carmel, among others off the bench.
“At the end, all the kids have embraced their roles,” said Sachem East head coach Matt Brisson. “They don’t care if they get their names in the paper or not. At the end, they just want the W. This is one of the most exciting groups I’ve been around in a long time just because of that selfless mentality.”
This is Sachem East’s second girls basketball Long Island championship in school history and first since 2010.
PHOTOS: CLICK HERE TO SEE IMAGES FROM THE VICTORY
Sachem East
- Katie Doherty, 18 points
- Kathleen Everson, 18 points
- Sammy Drake, 10 points
- Allie Drake, 6 points
- Emily Carmel, 3 points
Massapequa
- Lauren Van Buren, 19 points
- Melanie Hingher, 6 points
- Meghan McCabe, 6 points
- Danielle Doherty, 5 points
- Olivia Batista, 4 points
- Morgan Roessler, 4 points
- Sabrina Fregosi, 3 points
- Rachel Sieber, 3 points
-Words and photos by Chris R. Vaccaro