Riverhead will be well represented in the postseason with both Riverhead boys and girls basketball competing for the grand prize as well as the McGann-Mercy girls basketball team.
Riverhead girls finished League III co-champions with Huntington, gathering a division record of 13-1. And even though the two sides split the season series, with one win a piece, Huntington received a higher seed because of their margin of victory over Riverhead.
Huntington received the No. 6 seed and Riverhead was given the No. 7 seed.
Head coach Dave Spinella was asked whether he thought the seeding was low for a season of their caliber and he didn’t disagree with the committees decision, saying: “there was three leagues with co-champions. There’s not much you can do.”
Riverhead is led by Sam Dunn, who in her senior year is averaging 16.2 points per game. Dezarae Brown is close behind with 11.7 points per game. The compliment of the three sophomores surrounding them in Kate McCarney, Faith Johnson-Desilvia and Kim Ligon will ultimately determine how deep they will go.
The Blue Waves will host No. 10 Half Hollow Hills East on Friday at 5 p.m. There will be a $4 admission fee.
Riverhead boys sneaked into the playoffs in the last game of the season against West Islip on Tuesday. Because they were one of the last teams to clinch, head coach John Rossetti assumed they’d be one of the lowest seeds in the Suffolk County AA bracket. He was right, they were awarded No. 20 and will take on No. 13 North Babylon in an out-bracket game on Thursday at North Babylon. Tip off will be at 4 p.m.
Riverhead (7-7 League III, 8-10 overall) played North Babylon well during the season. They beat the Bulldogs early in the season, 65-63 during their hot streak. They later fell to them in North Babylon on January 26 by the score of 62-54.
The Blue Waves are led by a group of seniors eager to leave an imprint before they depart. Tyrese Kerr and Sharron Trent both average over 10 points a game. Lintell Brown and Steven Asconia are not too far behind with nine points a game.
It’s going to take a team effort to knock off North Babylon but it’s possible. They’ve done it before.
“We’re a good basketball team,” Rossetti said after the win against West Islip. “We just need to come out with the right intensity and play hard.”
McGann-Mercy girls had a great season, finishing 10-5 in League VII. After starting out 6-1 in the division, they lost four consecutive games, putting their playoff hopes at risk. But they rebounded nicely, winning their final four games to earn them a solid seeding in the Suffolk County B bracket.
The Monarchs were awarded the No. 2 seed and a home game against No. 3 Center Moriches on Saturday at noon. There will be a $4 admission fee.
First-year coach Meaghan Macarthur has done a fantastic job bringing together a group of girls that had so much potential in her eyes and transforming the group into a playoff contender.
Mia Behrens leads the team in scoring with 11 points a game. Jules Cintron-Leonardo along with Melina Santacroce are also featured in the offensive arsenal each scoring eight points a game.
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