Emily Plachta reached a milestone in Monday’s playoff game. The Huntington senior scored the 1,000th point of her Blue Devil career to lead her team over Centereach, 45-29. Third seeded Huntington will play No. 11 Sachem North on Thursday at 5 p.m. in the Section XI Class AA quarterfinals.
Plachta has been spectacular all season and she was again against Centereach, dropping 24 points along with 13 rebounds and five steals.
After opening an 8-0 lead, Huntington watched Centereach rally. The Blue Devils led 12-10 after one period and 22-14 at halftime.
All County senior Emily Plachta.
Huntington outscored Centereach (11-10) in the second half, 23-15. It was the third time the two teams have met this year with the Blue Devils sweeping the series.
Towering center Junie Nosile tallied nine points and six blocks. Makaylah Frazier had four points and Katie Browne scored three points. Teddi Carnesi added two points. Kayleigh Bender, Shaneek Shands and Jolie Weinschreider all scored a point from the free throw line.
Huntington (19-1) appeared off its game early, missing shots, turning the ball over and committing careless fouls. The Blue Devils struggled to find their rhythm as Centereach did just enough to stay within striking distance.
When Plachta scored her 1,000th point in the third quarter, officials briefly stopped the game and the senior’s teammates and coaches presented her with a special ball. Her parents came out on the court for a commemorative photo.
When play resumed, the Blue Devils continued to make enough shots to keep Centereach at a safe distance.
Thursday night’s game against Sachem North (12-9) with be played at Harborfields, where the Huntington girls’ have been playing most of their games since the Blue Devils’ gym was flooded by a broken heating coil and the floor needed to be replaced.
The game will be livestreamed on the Harborfields Athletics YouTube channel, which can be found by clicking on this link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCypZQoMmIfm0AGrKLXpuXfg
All adults should purchase their tickets to the game online at https://gofan.co/app/school/NYSPHSAAXI. Students can purchase discounted tickets at the door for $5.
