Girls Basketball: Spinella named Coach of the Year
After guiding the Riverhead girls basketball team to its first Long Island Championship, coach Dave Spinella was honored as the Suffolk County Coach of the Year. The Blue Waves went 23-2 this season, losing Friday night in the Class AA state semifinals to Penfield.
In a season of milestones for the Blue Waves, Spinella recorded his 100th career win this season in the Blue Waves’ Jan. 28 victory over North Babylon. Spinella has coached at Riverhead for 10 years.
Under Spinella the fast-paced Blue Waves averaged 60.4 points per game, the most of any team in the county.
Riverhead senior Jalyn Brown was also announced as a first team all-county selection. The C.W. Post-bound point guard netted her 1,000th career point in the Blue Waves’ first playoff victory over Patchogue-Medford. She averaged 15 points with 6 assists this season.
Senior Melodee Riley and junior Shanice Allen were named second team all-county.
Like Brown, Allen netted her 1,000th career point in the Blue Waves’ playoff run. She hit the milestone in the county championship against Hauppauge. Allen averaged 15 points and 3 steals this season.
Riley saved her best for the playoffs, where she averaged over 18 points per game while leading the team in rebounding. In the Blue Waves’ playoff win over Lindenhurst, she scored a career-high 28 points. A track and field star, Riley will attend the University of Connecticut next year.
