Girls Varsity Basketball: Eastport South Manor, 53; Huntington, 40;

On a cold snowy night on eastern Long Island, the Eastport South Manor Sharks played host to the tenth-seeded Huntington Blue Devils, in the first round of the Section XI girls basketball playoffs. When all was said and done, the Sharks were able to weather a strong first  quarter, and take the win 53-40.

Things started out swimmingly for Huntington in the first quarter.

The Blue Devils raced out to a 10-5 lead late in the quarter on a basket by Jackie Waldron, and ended the quarter ahead, 11-6.

The tide changed in the second  quarter, however. After a Jackie Waldron put-back to start the action, making the score 13-6, Huntington would not score another field goal until the end of the half. The Sharks raced ahead on a 9-0 run in the middle of the quarter, and never looked back. They reached their biggest lead of the half at 22-15, on a Caitlin Webber basket.

The Blue Devils finished the half with a bit of momentum back on their side, on a buzzer-beating three-point heave by Meredith McCourt.

Starting the third quarter behind just three points, at 22-19, Huntington stood a chance at tying the game on their first possession. Unfortunately, they were instead outscored 18-8. The Blue Devils increasingly saw themselves the victim of fast break points, set up by missed shots and turnovers.

The fourth quarter began with the Blue Devils down 40-27. Another Caitlin Webber bucket gave the Sharks a lead of 46-30, and speedy guard Dene DiMartino's 3-pointer around the four-minute mark put the game out of reach, at 51-32.

Jackie Waldron and Lauren Visbal fought the good fight to the end, with a couple more baskets in the quarter, finishing the scoring and the season for the Blue Devils.

Eastport South Manor was lead by senior forward Alex Marshall, who had 20 points.

For Head Coach Brad Reminick and his team, a little bit of disappointment, of course. "We played well for the first 16 minutes…and then had problems putting the ball in the basket."

Jackie Waldron lead the Blue Devils with 17 points, Meredith McCourt scored 8, Lauren Visbal had 7, and Raynisha Witherspoon had 6 on three field goals.

Coach Reminick summed up his team's season this way: "We have nothing to be ashamed of. We weren't picked to go to the playoffs…nobody thought we were going to the playoffs. I'm very proud of them."

The Sharks will now play second-seeded Mt. Sinai Friday.

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