Blue Devils Clinch Playoff Spot
It took the Huntington girls' basketball team 32 minutes to get untracked, but when they finally did the Blue Devils toppled Comsewogue in overtime, 50-39 and clinched a berth in the Suffolk Class AA playoffs.
Huntington led 13-11 after the first quarter and 23-19 at halftime, but couldn't put the game away. The Blue Devils extended their lead to 33-28 by the end of the third quarter, but a Comsewogue rally in the final minutes helped the Warriors send the contest into overtime.
In the extra frame sophomore point guard Katie Nugent went four-for-four from the foul line and junior Joellen Ceide dropped a pair of buckets from the field as the Blue Devils outscored Comsewogue, 12-1 to nail down an 11-point victory.
Sophomore Heather Forster notched another double-double with 15 points and 18 rebounds for Huntington. Senior Raynisha Witherspoon had 10 points and eight rebounds. Ceide finished with 12 points and five rebounds.
"Heather dominated the glass," head coach Mike Kaplan said about Forster's rebounding. "Raynisha took leadership in the overtime and her energy was contagious."
The game was played at NorthSport on 25A in Northport because the Huntington High School gym was unavailable due hundreds of desks being set up on the court for January Regents exams.
Sophomore Caitlin Knowles played her usual standout defense for the Blue Devils and added two points. Freshman Katie Reilly had five points and seven assists. Nugent dropped six points and added six assists. "Katie Nugent and Katie Reilly handled the pressure of the Comsewogue press extremely well," Kaplan said.
The victory improved Huntington's record to 11-3. "We play in the toughest league in Suffolk County," Kaplan said.