Commack beats Baldwin for L.I. title

If there was ever a game neither team deserved to lose, last Friday night’s Long Island Class AA girls’ basketball championship between Baldwin and Commack, at jam-packed LIU Post, was it.

Commack celebrated the first L.I. title in program history, winning a cliffhanger, 51-50, when a potential game-tying free throw with .5 seconds left bounced off the rim and into the hands of Commack senior Casey Keenan as the buzzer sounded.

Lady Cougars Sophomore Jillian Spagnuola hit a tiebreaking free throw with 36.7 seconds left, and senior Chelsea Schultz, who was clutch down the stretch of a heart-pounding final quarter that featured seven lead changes, sank the eventual game-winning foul shot with 7.0 seconds remaining.

“I’m so proud of the way we stood up against Baldwin’s pressure, because they melted every other team on the Island,” Commack head coach Denis Conroy said. “We hit some really big shots at the end. Anybody walking out of this gym on the short end of the score was going to be heartbroken.”

Baldwin (19-3), the defending L.I. champion, trailed by 11 early in the third quarter but rallied to take a 1-point lead three times in the fourth. Down by 6 with 1:30 to go, the Lady Bruins pulled even at 49 on baskets by freshman Jenna Annecchiarico, senior Tiara Place and freshman Aziah Hudson. Spagnuola was fouled after taking the in-bounds pass following Hudson’s layup and put Commack (22-2) ahead for good.

“It’s as difficult as they come,” Baldwin head coach Tom Catapano said. “It was a great season, but unfortunately we came up one point short tonight. We’ve got a great group of girls. They all bleed Baldwin blue and gold.”

Annecchiarico and Hudson each had a game-high 14 points. Four players scored in double figures for Commack, which advanced to the state semifinals next Friday at Hudson Valley Community College. Schultz and junior Jaclyn DelliSanti had 12 points apiece, and junior Samantha Miller and freshman Casey Hearns each had 10.

The Lady Bruins, who struggled from the line, going 21 of 36, began their push two minutes into the second half. They trailed 28-17 when Hudson made good on two free throws. Senior Jade Aponte’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter cut the deficit to 33-30 and set the stage for a wild fourth.

“We knew they weren’t going to give up — they’re Baldwin,” Schultz said. “We just had to stay strong and hold our ground.”

Baldwin led for the first time since the end of the opening quarter when Annecchiarico drained two free throws with 5:44 remaining to make it 36-35. The Lady Bruins led for the last time with 4:15 left, 41-40, after sophomore Kayla Brown came off the bench to hit two free throws in place of Aponte, who had the wind knocked out of her on a drive to the basket.

Schultz hit a 3-pointer to give Commack a 43-41 advantage, and followed a DelliSanti free throw with another long-distance bomb to make it 47-41 with 2:21 left. “I didn’t do much in the first half, so I knew I had to help my teammates out,” said Schultz, who scored 9 second-half points.

“It was a thrilling basketball game between two great teams,” Conroy said.