Forster Lifts Huntington Past Smithtown West
The Huntington High School girls' basketball team held visiting Smithtown West scoreless for the first 7:30 of Tuesday afternoon's game. Then the struggle began in earnest as the Bulls regained their footing. When the fierce battle was finally over, the Blue Devils had their first victory of the year, 33-29.
Huntington led 5-4 after one quarter and was ahead 16-8 at halftime. But, Smithtown West was far from finished, doing just enough to stay within striking distance. The Bulls made a final run late in the fourth quarter that kept the small crowd on the edge of its seats.
Blue Devil freshman Heather Forster pulled down 10 rebounds and added six points, eight steals and eight blocks to lead her team to the non-league win. The teenager provided teammates with plenty of support on both ends of the court and dominated in the paint.
Co-captains Colleen Wright (seven points) and Laurelle Byrne-Cody (six points) kept Huntington's offense on the go. "They dominated with their senior leadership when it counted the most," head coach Mike Kaplan said. Freshmen Lindsey Sullivan (six points) and Katie Nugent (four points) gave the Blue Devils some firepower.
Huntington needed a victory badly after letting a 14 point lead slip through its fingers against Half Hollow Hills East and losing by 26 points at John Glenn last weekend.
With so many new varsity players and a large contingent of freshmen on its roster, Huntington needs time to mature. Depending on how that process goes, post-season play is a distinct possibility for the Blue Devils.
Blue Devil Notes: Huntington was outscored in the second half, 21-17 . . . Raynisha Witherspoon and Tara Byrnes scored two points each, respectively . . . Marissa Bergmann is serving the varsity assistant coach.