For the first time in 23 years, the Bellport High School girls varsity basketball team advanced to the Suffolk County AA championship game.
They earned this accomplishment after tough back-to-back playoff victories over the Comsewogue Warriors and the Half Hallow Hills East Thunderbirds. Last Friday, the fifth-seed Clippers defeated the fourth-seed Warriors by a score of 51 to 39 and advanced to the second round of the playoffs on Monday where they met the top seed Thunderbirds.
The last time Half Hallow Hills East and Bellport met Hills East came back from behind to beat Bellport on their home court by a score of 52-37.
On Monday, both the Clippers’ suffocating defense and diverse offensive firepower were on full display. Senior Point Guard Brynn Johnsen forced the Thunderbirds to turn the ball over three times while Autumn Simon’s teammates fed her the ball in the paint for a pair of layups and at the end of the first quarter the game was tied at 13-13.
In the second quarter, the Clippers’ defense held the Thunderbirds to only 6 points as their offense built a small lead. With 3 seconds left on the clock, Kaylee Grahm dribbled the ball up from under her basket and at the half court line launched a buzzer beating 3-point shot to extend the Clippers’ lead to 6 and the girls entered half time with a 25-19 lead.
The third quarter started with Brynn Johnsen forcing two additional turnovers as both teams traded baskets. The Thunderbirds applied defensive pressure and the Clippers, led by Rose Micucci’s superb ball-handling skills, were able to break the intense press and the end of the quarter, the Clippers held a 5-point lead and the score was 37-32.
In the final quarter, the Thunderbirds mounted a run and at the 3:40 mark they tied the game at 39-39. However, in the final minutes, the Clippers’ defense, led by senior guard Maddy Budris, stepped up and held their opponent to 4 points, thus helping to secure a 54-43 victory.
After the game, head coach Rynese Smith, who was also celebrating her birthday, credited Budris with stifling one of the league’s top scorers. “We asked her to guard her, and she did that for 32 straight minutes.”
An exhausted Budris said she was nervous about the task, but added that her teammates helped provide her with the confidence and inspiration to succeed.
The Suffolk AA championship game is scheduled for March 3 at 2:30 p.m. at Suffolk County Community College in Selden, where the Bellport Clippers will meet the No 2-seed Westhampton Beach Hurricanes.
Visit https://gofan.co/app/school/NYSPHSAAXI to secure game tickets.
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