SWR girls’ basketball wins semifinal, advances to county championship
With 12 seconds remaining in the Section XI Class A Semifinals on Thursday, Feb. 26, Shoreham-Wading River freshman Laurel Coster got fouled and sent to the line with the No. 3-seeded Wildcats leading 39-35 over the No. 2-seeded Kings Park. A free throw would all but seal the game.
Coster was passed the ball by the referee and, without hesitation, made the free throw. But suddenly, the referees were called to the Kings Park bench, and a 10-minute discussion ensued.
First, it was the coaches and the referees who met in the middle of the court at Kings Park High School. Then, it was the athletic directors and the referees. The crowd grew unruly with the late-game situation in question. The rulebook came out, and everyone perused through the pages. Coster tried to stay loose and to not think about what happened to be the biggest free throws of her young career.
The player on Kings Park who fouled Coster was supposed to leave the game as it was her fifth of the evening. Because the referees didn’t take her off the court before the free throw, they came to the determination that the shot no longer counted.
But, cool, calm and collected, Coster stepped up and nailed the front end of her free throws again and punched SWR’s ticket into the Suffolk County Class A championship. Leslie Jablonski would later hit another free throw to secure the 41-35 victory.
“I wasn’t nervous,” Coster said. “I knew even if I missed it, my teammates would have my back. I just tried to stay focused and believed in myself.”
The buildup to this game included thoughts of revenge. Following the 53-51 loss to Kings Park during the season at home, which happened to be their first loss of the season, Kings Park players took a photo mocking the Wildcats, which said, “undefeated no more.”
“We posted that photo during practice all week long,” SWR head coach Christian Coster said. “All we wanted was another chance. And it was even better that we could do it on their home court.”
With all the talk about Kings Park freshman center Riley Currier, who averaged nearly 18 points per game this season, it was Shoreham-Wading River’s center, Anabel Keegan, who stole the show. The senior had 13 points, 17 rebounds, five steals and a block as she created havoc on both sides of the ball.
“She’s definitely a good basketball player,” Keegan said of Currier. “But I know my game. I knew I had to go in there confident and play the game that I do, and the rest would take care of itself.”
Though Shoreham-Wading River (19-2) had command for most of the game, with four minutes left, Kings Park only trailed by two points, 34-32. For the next two minutes, both sides traded missed baskets until Jablonski grabbed a loose ball around the three-point line and instantly threw it up.
“It was right around where I like to shoot it,” Jablonksi said. “Coach Coster said if I ever get it there and I’m open, to shoot it. So I did.”
It was nothing but net. The shot changed the momentum of the game. The three points there added to her team-high 15 she had on the night.
“We’ve been saying it all year long,” Coach Coster said. “When things get tough, our seniors step up, and it showed again today. What an amazing group of girls. I would go to battle with them any day of the week.”
The Wildcats will meet No. 1 Mt. Sinai on Friday, March 6, at Stony Brook University for the Class A Suffolk County Championship. The game is scheduled for 3 p.m. Mt. Sinai (17-3) defeated Sayville, 58-33, in the semifinals. SWR and Mt. Sinai split their season series, with both teams winning at their respective home courts. Now it will be at a neutral site. All bets are off.
“We made one of our goals to make the counties this year,” Keegan said. “Now we move on to our next goal: to win it. We’re going to prepare and practice with the right mindset, and hopefully it all ends up in our favor. We’re all looking forward to it.”
