Forster is Awesome in Blue Devil Win
Freshman Heather Forster had one of the biggest games in Huntington High School girls' basketball history, scoring 26 points, pulling down 25 rebounds and blocking six shots to lead the Blue Devils past visiting Comsewogue, 48-42 before a crowd of about 200 in Louis D. Giani Gymnasium.
Huntington came out strong and built a 16-10 first quarter lead. The two teams battled through much of the next eight minutes as the Warriors' defense prevented the Blue Devils from pulling away. Huntington led 25-19 at halftime.
Forster started to air it out in the third quarter. The Blue Devils went on a 16-8 run and extended their advantage to 14 points at 41-27. But, the game wasn't over just yet. Comsewogue wouldn't quit as the Warriors hit a string of shots during one of Huntington's scoring droughts and cut the Blue Devil lead to six points.
Huntington head coach Mike Kaplan rallied his troops, imploring them to hold off hard-charging Comsewogue, which outscored Huntington over the final eight minutes, 15-7. A loss would have ended any chance of the Blue Devils reaching the post-season.
Junior Raynisha Witherspoon scored six points and crashed the boards for 10 rebounds and freshman Tara Byrnes added six points and eight rebounds to bolster Forster's heroics.
"Heather's improvement has been tremendous," said Kaplan, who credited Witherspoon and Byrnes with "stepping up with some clutch shots." The Blue Devils played one of their best games of the year, locking up a win they desperately needed.
Freshman Mackenzie Maloney, who had four steals, and senior Colleen Wright scored four points apiece and freshman floor general Katie Nugent added another two points. "Mackenzie was great on defense," Kaplan said. "She made some key defensive stops when they were needed. She also had some key passes into the post."
The contest was Huntington's Coaches vs. Cancer game this year. It's an initiative that involves each Suffolk varsity girls' basketball team holding a fundraising event to benefit the American Cancer Society. There were raffles, halftime exhibition mini-games involving J. Taylor Finley Middle School players and food and refreshments.