Sports Notebook: History Defines Glenn Girls Basketball and More

Now that the sheer elation has subsided from the girls basketball team’s Suffolk Class A championship on Tuesday, let’s put it in perspective.

Glenn, fifth in the NYSSWA Class A rankings, improved to 20-0 with a . While you can’t beat history, the Knights did knock off the four-time defending champs and end the dynastic run of Harborfields.

It is the third county title for Glenn and veteran coach Andy Athanas. Glenn won the Suffolk Class A crown in 2006 after an unforgettable 2005 that saw the Knights go unbeaten. With talented and tough 6-footer Harmonie Calinda leading the way, the Knights went 29-0 and claimed the state Federation Class B crown in 2005.

Flash forward to . Forward Allison McKenna and guard Danielle Evers are just the one-two punch the Knights need to make a deep postseason run.

Glenn’s next big test is the Long Island championship game March 11 at 6 p.m. at Hofstra for the right to go to the state Final Four. In Nassau, Garden City and defending champ Division will meet to decide the champ. Historically, Glenn is 2-0 in LICs.

In the mean time, the Knights will be busy. If Glenn beats Suffolk Class B winner Center Moriches for the Suffolk Small Schools championship Friday 5 p.m. at Farmingdale State, it sets up a showdown with the AA winner for the Suffolk Overall championship Sunday 1 p.m. at Farmingdale State. That said, these games are ceremonial and have no impact on the playoffs. Enjoy the run, ladies.

State Track Preview

girls runners already pulled off the impossible when the Tigers unseated 10-time champ Bay Shore for the team title at the Suffolk Large Schools Indoor Track and Field championships on Feb. 5. Saturday they go up against the state’s best.

The state Federation Indoor Track and Field championships are at Cornell University’s turn-of-last-century Barton Hall in upstate Ithaca.

Junior Sara Ronde, who won the 55-meter run, long and triple jumps to help the Tigers tame Bay Shore, won just one event at the state qualifier one week later. But it was an impressive performance. Her winning 18-foot, 1-inch effort in the long jump sends Ronde to states with momentum.

Northport’s 4 x 800 relay squad of Natasha Albaneze, Anna Corrigan, Brigid Brennan and Elizabeth Fierro earned a trip to states by winning the qualifier and blowing away Miller Place with a time of 9 minutes, 42.15 seconds.

Suzy Farber, who helped Northport to victory with her triumph in the 1,500 racewalk, will not make the trip because she was disqualified at the state qualifier.

Other local girls headed update include: Glenn’s Kaitlin Whitehorn and Whitman’s Jackie Crunden in the high jump.

On the boys side, five locals head upstate: Whitman’s Zachery Cammer ran third in 3,200; Northport’s Tim Odin was third in the 1,000; Northport’s Lucas Hoffmann ran third in 55 hurdles; and Whitman’s Kyle Preston and Northport’s Neil Yodice placed second and third in the 300.

Feat of the Week

While neither team crowned an individual state champion, the wrestling programs at Glenn and St. Anthony’s placed third and fourth respectively in the state Federation Wrestling Division I team standings.  Shenendehowa won the team title with 83.5 points, followed by Fox Lane (66), Glenn (63) and the Friars (60).

St. Anthony’s senior Jon Desir lost the 285-pound championship bout, 6-4. Glenn’s James Dekrone fell in the 130-pound final, 3-2. Ken Meinsen (135) and Joe Giaramita (189) battled back through the bracket to each place third for the Knights. Check out the bracket here. 

Game of the Week

The top-seeded girls basketball team faces Sacred Heart Academy in a Nassau-Suffolk CHSAA semifinal Friday at 7:15 p.m. at St. Dominic High School in Oyster Bay. The Friars, 15th in the latest NYSSWA Class AA rankings, have high hopes after a 22-2 regular season.  Credit the inside-out duo of center Micki Impellizeri and guard Kerrin Maurer. If the Friars advance, they’ll get the Holy Trinity-St. John the Baptist-winner in the league title game Sunday at 2 p.m. at Hofstra. St. Anthony’s has not won a playoff league title since 1988. While St. Anthony’s has twice this season, SJB has won the last four league crowns.