Seahawks appear on the rise

If Caylee DeMeo’s career trajectory simply proceeds on track, the general lift imparted by the junior’s rise could well be sufficient to float Carey past the .500 threshold. The All-County point guard led Conference A2 in spring with 14.4 points per game as a second-year starter, while the Seahawks finished 2-5.

Factor in expected gains this winter from All-Conference sophomore Valentina Falagna (6.7 ppg) and the signs of an impending breakthrough become unambiguous for Carey – which posted as many league wins (3-9 A2) in its last full season, 2019-20, as it had total victories across the two preceding campaigns (3-34).

“I’ve been coaching here, at various levels, for 21 years,” said third-year head coach Anthony Turco, whose club returned to A2 action Dec. 14 at home against Elmont. “This is the first time since I’ve been head coach that I feel we'll be able to match up and game-plan against every team.”

Retaining some aspects of last season’s run and gun, Carey looks to step up its half-court game, processing chiefly through DeMeo and small forward Falagna, with junior Rose Castronovo set to snipe as the off guard and freshman Leila Paz as her understudy.

“Caylee handles well and she's a decent shooter,” Turco said. “Valentina’s very good from the foul line and below. We’re hoping for 12 or 14 points a game from her. Rose is a good shooter. Leila has a good handle. She’ll eventually get into the lineup.”

Guard Gianna Burke is tapped as the Seahawks’ lone senior starter, while junior Brianna Suarez-Oubina gets the nod at forward.

“Last year we were young all over the place,” Turco said. “It was important for us to get varsity experience. I think we can now match up against any style, fast or slow. I’m real pleased with how we're doing things.”