H-ton Wins on Coaches v. Cancer Night
In a game that wasn't decided until the final minutes, the Huntington High School girls' basketball team turned back Hauppauge on Coaches vs. Cancer Night in Louis D. Giani Gymnasium, 47-42.
Raynisha Witherspoon scored 12 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out five assists and Heather Forster added 10 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Blue Devils, who remain in the hunt for a first place finish in Suffolk League IV.
The two teams fought a tough battle through most of the game's 32 minutes. Huntington held a 6-5 lead after the first quarter. The Blue Devils were ahead at halftime, 18-15. The second half featured equally fierce play.
Joellen Ceide scored nine points for Huntington, including five from the foul line and pulled down five rebounds. Caitlin Knowles had seven points and Tara Byrnes added four points.
The Blue Devils outscored the Eagles in the third quarter, 14-12 to increase their lead to 32-27 and set the stage for the final dramatic eight minutes that had the crowd on the edge of their seats.
"I am very proud of the girls," head coach Mike Kaplan said about his players. "It was a big week for us and they all stepped up. Our depth was really important in this game because of the foul trouble we got in. Lindsay Sullivan came in and gave the team a spark and ran the offense. Joellen Ceide and Tara Byrnes were aggressive in the paint and played excellent defense. "
Mackenzie Maloney and Katie Reilly both scored three points on three-point baskets. Playmaker Katie Nugent scored one point from the foul line. "Everyone contributed to the victory in one way or another," Kaplan said. Huntington's fourth straight victory improved its record in league play to 6-2. Last year the team went 6-8 in league games.
Blue Devil players earlier in the afternoon decorated the gym in pink and white and tied balloons to the bleacher railings for the Coaches vs. Cancer Night game. Local businesses donated items for more than a dozen raffles that raised hundreds of dollars for the American Cancer Society. The two teams wore special event t-shirts during warm-ups.
During halftime of the junior varsity game, Huntington School District elementary school students played a short game on the main court. J. Taylor Finley Middle School seventh and eighth grade team members played a short exhibition on the court during halftime of the varsity game.
Blue Devil Notes: Knowles and Reilly rotated guarding Hauppauge's best three point shooter, preventing her from hitting on any shots from downtown . . . The varsity girls' basketball game scheduled for Thursday, January 24 at 6 p.m. in Louis D. Giani Gymnasium has been moved to NorthSport on 25A in Northport (north side of 25A across the street from Stop & Shop) . . . The game is being moved because the Huntington High School gym is unavailable on that date due to hundreds of desks being placed across the court so students can take January Regents exams there.