William Floyd went into its Suffolk AAA playoff game on the road at Northport on Thursday, Feb. 13, as an underdog.
The Colonials were a No. 11 seed taking on No. 6-seed Northport, a team ranked third in scoring at 56.1 points a game.
The Colonials, meanwhile, tipped off with a young starting lineup: eighth-grader Taleah Coppola, ninth-grader Milania Farrow and sophomores Chloe Campbell, Savannah Pantry and Jayla Thomas.
The Colonials sure didn’t play like underdogs, as their defense stole the ball several times and forced the Tigers into early turnovers. The Colonials dominated the offensive boards and put back numerous rebounds for second-chance baskets.
Floyd was up 16-14 in the first quarter with time winding down when Northport’s Isabella Bica connected on a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Tigers a 17-16 lead.
Northport started using a trap defense in the second quarter and began pulling away, building a 39-24 lead at halftime. It was a lead the Colonials, despite playing hard throughout the game, couldn’t overcome as Northport went on to a 75-41 win.
‘We’re a very young team,” Colonials head coach Rich Sinclair said after the game. “We competed. We went after it. There were just a couple of things that didn’t go our way today.”
The Colonials finished the regular season at 10-10 (6-6 in League I) after graduating much of their starting lineup from last season.
That the team was able to regroup and make the playoffs is “a testament to their work ethic and their ability as basketball players,” Sinclair said.
Three Colonials—Campbell, Coppola and Pantry—led the team in scoring at 10 points each.
Sinclair said he’s optimistic about the Colonials’ prospects for next season.
“We’re probably one of the youngest teams in the playoffs,” Sinclair said. “We’re looking forward to getting back here next year after putting in work during the offseason, and hopefully we’ll be able to advance.”
With the win, Northport advances to play in the quarterfinals at No. 3 North Babylon on Feb. 27.
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