Sewanhaka knocks off Glen Cove

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The Sewanhaka girls’ basketball team came into the postseason with 17 wins and the No. 3 seed in the Nassau Class A playoffs. With a strong defensive unit and a variety of different sources of offense, the Lady Indians continued their journey with a 68-52 victory over No. 14 Glen Cove on Feb. 16.

With their only loss in the past month coming by way of top-ranked Elmont, Sewanhaka was riding a huge momentum wave going into this first-round playoff game. Senior guard Destiny Hurt finished with a game high 34 points, but also contributed by causing havoc on defense, creating steals in the full court, and finding her teammates with sharp passes. Kate Weinschrieder also put forth a solid performance, drawing the attention of Glen Cove big Grace Brady, and slashing to the hoop on her way to a 14-point performance.

“The beauty of this team is that we have five kids that at any point, on any given night, could be the leading scorer,” Sewanhaka head coach Alex Soupios said after the game.

Late in the second quarter, Glen Cove went on a 9-0 run fueled by a storm of blocks by center Brady leading to transition layups for the Big Red. Trinity Hudson and Destiny Hudson were huge on the offensive end for Glen Cove, finishing with 13 and 11 points respectively. This run cut Sewanhaka’s lead to 21-19. The Lady Indians, fueled by the energy of the raucous crowd, returned the favor ending the half on a 7-0 run, stealing the momentum right back to end the half.

Although Hurt finished with the game high in points, the Lady Indians (18-2) were winning as a unit. Creating turnovers and finding the open player in transition and the half court showed their unselfishness and discipline. Soupios was well aware of the threat of Glenn Cove center Brady as he stated, “Our kids were consistently remembering that they had to double down on the big, and of course she’s going to get her points, but she didn't have a game where she just completely dominated, and I’m proud of them for that,” he said. Brady finished with 15 points and 10 blocks.

Glen Cove (11-6) put forth a valiant effort, chipping away in the third quarter and early fourth, aggravating the Lady Indians and their fans alike. However Sewanhaka was too sound in the defensive backcourt.

Glen Cove first-year head coach Mike Woodhouse was proud of the way his team performed both at Sewanhaka and over the course of the season. “I really couldn't be any more proud,” he said. “Having a young team, I know a lot of people didn't expect a lot of us, but making the playoffs is a nice accomplishment. Making it out of the first round is a nice accomplishment, but we’re keeping our goals high for next year. We’re not letting up.”

Carly Bolivar added eight points and Flo Hunte added five for Sewanhaka, which advanced to face No. 6 Mepham in the quarterfinals.