It wasn’t the way they had expected it to end.
One by one, a teary-eyed bunch of Mattituck High School girls basketball players congratulated their Babylon rivals.
The Tuckers had aspirations of defending their Suffolk County Class B title but dropped a 57-22 decision to the top-seeded side at St. Joseph’s University in Patchogue last Sunday.
The Tuckers could not get over a slow start and they wound up chasing the game from just about the opening tip-off.
“I was hoping that we would come out and be fully energized, come out at our full potential, but we didn’t,” said junior guard Claire McKenzie, who tied senior guard Riley Corrigan for a team-high eight points. “We definitely forced a lot of bad passes and bad shots.”
Babylon (19-2), which extended its winning streak to six games, will meet the winner of the Nassau County final between Carle Place and Cold Spring Harbor for the Long Island championship at Farmingdale College on March 12.
“They’re just as good as they were last year, if not better,” senior guard Paige Rittberg said. “They really deserve this win. They work really hard, just the same as us.”
As one of only two teams to beat the Panthers in the regular season, the second-seeded Tuckers (13-9) were confident entering the contest against the League VII champions.
But Mattituck struggled to get on track against Babylon’s relentless defense, missing their first 11 field-goal attempts and converting on just one of 15 shots from the floor in the first quarter as the Panthers grabbed a 12-6 lead.
“I feel like that was nerves,” said Rittberg, who scored three points. “Big game. It’s a big place. Not our home gym. Couldn’t knock down a shot at first, me included. And, we had a lot of turnovers.”
Mattituck gave up seven turnovers in the opening period and 21 for the game. In contrast, Babylon coughed up the ball four times in the quarter, 13 in the whole encounter.
“The pressure that they applied was really, really good,” head coach Steve Van Dood said. “Kudos to their defense. They were trapping well and putting our girls on our heels. We were telegraphing our passes, not ball thinking, and that’s something we’ve preached all year. We played at their tempo. Babylon did a good job of controlling the dance. We fell into it a little bit. And when you play at that tempo, you force turnovers.”
The Tuckers tried to find their game and a rhythm, but Babylon increased its advantage to 27-10 at the half and never looked back.
The Panthers are a very good team. They boast a talented trio who averaged in double digits during the regular season. Junior forward Peyton Logue-Boyd finished with a game-high 18 points, and eighth-grade point guard Morgan Fielder and senior forward Gia Randazzo contributed 16 points apiece.
“When they have a trio like that, it definitely gave us fits,” Van Dood said. “We would make one stop on one of the girls, and then someone else would be open to make a shot.”
Fielder (5-feet-1), the youngest and smallest player on the court, was a menace at both ends. Her quickness and ability to dribble with both hands allowed her to run past her marker. On defense, Fielder caused several turnovers that were transformed into baskets.
“She makes really good passes to she sets really good like picks and giving goes with the taller people on her team,” McKenzie said. “When she plays defense, she’s really close to the ground. That definitely helps her get the ball.”
Corrigan and Rittberg were among four seniors on the team who played their final game, along with forwards Rhianna Lutz and Casey Szczotka.
“We’re such a positive team, really good at keeping our heads up,” Rittberg said. “We all work really hard. We all have the same end goals. We all wanted to come here. I’m definitely going to miss all the players and our competitiveness.”
Van Dood felt the Tuckers acquitted themselves well this season.
“We really weren’t picked to do anything,” he said. “The girls played above and beyond. The record speaks volumes, considering we had a lot of girls that never played basketball before in their lives. They learned the game, and they got better and better. The fact that we were even in the county championship game this year is a testament to how hard they worked and how they listened.”