Blue Devil Sports News
Kiernan McGovern scored 21 points to lead the Huntington High School boys' basketball team past Copiague in a thrilling Section XI Class AA outbracket playoff game, 64-63.
The Blue Devils led 14-13 after the first quarter and 31-23 at halftime. Copiague rallied in the third frame to tie the score, 41-41. Devon Nelson scored what proved to be the winning margin when he dropped in a pair of free throws with five seconds remaining in the game.
Patrick Reilly scored 14 points. Nelson had 12 points and 12 rebounds. Skylure Pannell pumped in nine points. Kenny Charles (four points), Connor Birchard (three points) and Kenny McCarthy (one point) combined for another eight points.
Commack Tops H-ton
The Huntington High School girls' basketball team was knocked out of the Suffolk Class AA playoffs when the Blue Devils fell to Commack, 48-44.
Huntington took an early lead before entering a long funk. With a late second quarter run, the Blue Devils narrowed their deficit to 26-21 by halftime. Huntington (13-6) was stymied by an inordinate number of turnovers and an inability to consistently make foul shots.
The Blue Devils took a 37-36 lead with 1:03 remaining in the third quarter when Joellen Ceide scored from underneath the basket. The Cougars (15-2) came roaring back in the final frame, outscoring Huntington 12-7 to eke out a four point victory.
Katie Reilly's 16 points led the Blue Devils. The freshman dropped in four 3-point baskets. Heather Forster also played a great game, hustling up and down the floor, scooping up loose balls, grabbing rebounds and inspiring and motivating her team throughout the game. The junior scored 12 points. Ceide had four points. Tara Byrnes, Caitlin Knowles and Raynisha Witherspoon all had two points each. Brooke Baade scored one point.
Alum Ranked No. 4 in USA
Blue Devil wrestling alum Louis Puca is ranked No. 4 at 174 lbs. in NCAA Division III. The 2011 Huntington High School grad is currently 24-4 for SUNY Cortland with nine pins, five major decisions and one technical fall.
Puca will compete in the NCAA Division III Northeast regional qualifying tournament at Worchester Polytechnic Institute this coming week. The top finishers will advance to the national tournament in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on March 15-16.
Puca placed second in the county and state tournaments as a high school junior. He was upset in the Section XI semi-finals as a senior and denied a return trip to state finals after finishing third in Suffolk. Puca went 37-5 as a junior and 34-1 as a senior, compiling an overall career mark of 143-34 with the Blue Devils.
Scully Ready at Bridgeport
Shea Scully is ready for her sophomore lacrosse season at the University of Bridgeport. The 2011 Huntington High School grad played in 10 games as a college freshman and started two. Scully, who wears No. 25, plays midfield for the Purple Knights.
Scully notched two goals and 10 assists as a freshman. Her 12 points were the sixth most for Bridgeport. She took nine shots, picked up 13 ground balls, drew 18 charges and caused three turnovers.
Pugliese Back on Field
Former Blue Devil great Emilie Pugliese is back on the lacrosse field at High Point University. The 2011 Huntington High School grad redshirted last season following knee surgery. She wears No. 16 and plays attack for the Panthers.
Pugliese is planning to major in exercise science. She was All-County and All-Tournament for the Blue Devils, scoring 77 goals and adding 84 assists during a sensational career.
Saputo Starts for Drexel Lax
Nick Saputo has played his way in the starting lineup of the Drexel University lacrosse team. The 2011 Huntington High School alum scored 10 seconds into the third quarter this past Saturday to help pace Drexel's 20-19 upset of No. 16 University at Albany.
Saputo is a 5'10 midfielder. In 13 games as a freshman, he scored two goals, picked up 24 ground balls and won 37-of-67 face-offs or 57 percent. He won Colonial Athletic Assn. Rookie of the Week honors during a season that saw him score one of only three man-down goals in the entire conference last spring.
In Drexel's season-opening 13-12 overtime loss to No. 7 Virginia, Saputo won 8-of-18 face-offs, scooped up six ground balls and caused a turnover. Against Albany, the Blue Devil alum had nine ground balls, two shots on goal and won 19-of-40 face-offs. His early second half goal ignited a Drexel comeback that saw the Dragons outscore Albany 15-9 and win by the slimmest of margins. Drexel finished 8-8 in 2012 and is 1-1 this year.
Saputo plans to major in business at Drexel.
Plant Scores First College Goals
Dan Plant broke the ice by scoring two goals for the Rutgers University lacrosse team in the Scarlet Knights' 20-10 win over Wagner College. Plant is a college freshman after a stellar career at Huntington High School. The 6'2, 211 lb. teenager plays midfield and wears No. 44.
Plant fired off a shot in his first college game, a 15-6 Rutgers victory over Manhattan College. His two second half goals against Wagner capped off a game that saw him take three shots and pick up two ground balls.
In an 11-7 loss last weekend at UMBC (University of Maryland, Baltimore County), Plant got off one shot for Rutgers.