Trailing Shoreham-Wading River by 14 points late in the first half of the ong Island Class A girls’ basketball championship game on March 11, Plainedge didn’t press the panic button.
Junior Michela Netto’s halftime buzzer-beater from behind the arc brought the Red Devils within nine, and a comeback for the history books was on.
Junior Allie Younghans capped a frantic fourth quarter with two free throws in the final 13.6 seconds to break a deadlock and provide the difference for Plainedge in a dramatic 51-49 victory at Stony Brook University, marking the program’s first L.I. title.
“It’s truly amazing,” said Younghans, one of four Red Devils to score in double figures with 11 points. “I was a little nervous at the foul line, but I prefer it when the crowd is making a lot of noise instead of being quiet. I just wanted to make sure I hit one so we got the lead.”
The first one proved to be enough as Plainedge’s signature defense forced turnovers in each of Shoreham’s final two possessions to complete the historic come-from-behind win.
“Just incredible,” Plainedge head coach Sarah Tansey said. “I’m so proud of these girls. They just made history and created a memory to have and share for the rest of their lives.
“Even though we were a little discouraged with how we played in the first half, we know we’re capable of so much better and that basket from Michela before halftime was huge,” she added.
The Red Devils, who trailed 38-33 after three quarters, led for the first time with 4:12 remaining in regulation when freshman Maddie Belz, who scored a team-high 12 points, converted a layup off a bounce pass from Netto to make it 41-40. They led by as many as four — twice — thanks to clutch threes from juniors Netto and Giovanna Pannitti, but the Wildcats pulled even at 49 with 23.8 seconds left after baskets by Anabel Keegan (game-high 16 points) and Shealyn Varbero.
Younghans was fouled driving to the basket on the possession following Varbero’s tying shot and knocked down her first free throw. That proved to be championship point.
“We knew we had it in us to fight back and we just had to keep pushing,” Netto said. “Those final few minutes were back and forth and it just came down to defense and making big shots.”
Plainedge (18-6), which last Friday night capped a memorable run to the Nassau County Class A championship as the No. 4 seed with a decisive victory over Floral Park, will face Section I’s Tappan Zee in the regional final at this Sunday at noon at Farmingdale State College with a trip upstate on the line.
“It’s so crazy,” Younghans said. “We didn’t think we would make it this far with such a young team. But everyone worked really hard and we did it.”
Shoreham (20-3) led for the first 27-plus minutes and held its largest advantage at 26-12 with 2:45 remaining in the opening half. Plainedge closed the second quarter by scoring seven of the last nine points, capped by Netto’s momentum-builder to cut the deficit to 28-19.
“We’ve been down plenty of times before and we don’t really get rattled,” Tansey said. “We just try to control what we can control and have that next play mentality.”
Belz, as she’s done throughout the season, provided a major spark off the bench. Eight of her points came after halftime, as did seven of junior Petyon Wise’s 10.
“This means so much to all of us,” Belz said. “How the game started to how it ended was pretty amazing.”
