It was the Brienna McFarland show at Greenport High School Friday night and she put on her best performance to date.
After a sluggish first half in which Greenport/Southold trailed Southampton by three points, the Porters came out firing at the start of the third quarter behind the sharp shooting of McFarland. The guard contributed 13 of her game-leading 21 points in the quarter to lead the Porters to victory, 41-30.
Lily Corwin, the team’s second leading scorer, was out with an injured ankle, so McFarland knew she needed to step up.
“I started shooting more because Lily was out,” McFarland said. “They weren’t falling in the first half but I wanted to take over the game in the second half.”
That’s when the show truly began.
McFarland’s first shot in the third quarter was nothing but net at the top of the key and oftentimes, that’s all it takes to gain some confidence.
“After I made my first and second shot,” McFarland recounted. “I knew it was there.”
Greenport/Southold (2-0 league V, 3-1 overall) outscored the Mariners 20-9 in the third quarter after just scoring 12 points in the entire first half.
“We need her to take the majority of the shots when she has it going like that,” Greenport/Southold head coach Ev Corwin said. “If she gets open, she needs to shoot it.”
The Porters also had a solid contribution from Coraline Rempe who added 11 points and 12 rebounds. She made her presence known under the basket after Coach Corwin started calling some plays her way.
“That’s by far her career-high there in points,” Corwin said. “She’s very confident all of a sudden and it’s great to see. She didn’t play much last year and she’s blossoming this year.”
The defense from start to finish was very strong for the Porters as they forced Southampton (0-2 league V, 2-5 overall) into four shot-clock violations and numerous turnovers.
“The one thing I’m trying to instill into this team is to always bring high energy,” Corwin said. “The level of energy in the third quarter for the first time all year was where it needs to be.”
Greenport/Southold looks to continue their strong start to the year as they travel to Babylon Monday night.
“I really feel like we’re just scratching the surface of what we’re trying to accomplish here,” Corwin said.