Ryan Currier helps Kings Park girls basketball team earn its first Suffolk title

Ryan Currier has been chasing history since she first stepped on a varsity court for Kings Park in her freshman year.

The senior was a member of King Park’s 2021 squad that won the Suffolk Conference III championship, which was the furthest the team could go in a season shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Kingsmen followed with back-to-back deep postseason runs but failed to win a county championship.

That changed Sunday. Top-seeded Kings Park defeated No. 6 Bayport-Blue Point, 53-41, in the Suffolk Class A girls basketball final to claim the first county title in program history. Currier had 22 points, 18 rebounds and six blocks in another dominant performance.

“I was remembering last year how it felt to fall short and I just really wanted to make this team proud and leave our mark,” the center said. “I was ready to win. There was no option to lose this game. This was it right here.”

Kings Park (18-5) will play the Wantagh-Cold Spring Harbor winner in the Long Island Class A championship/ Southeast Regional final at noon on Sunday at Farmingdale State College.

“It wasn’t the prettiest basketball, to be honest, but in the back of our heads, we knew we were fighting for something bigger,” Currier said. “And that’s what kept me motivated when we were down and that’s how we were able to go on those runs and win.”

Kings Park utilized a 21-0 run over 5:02 to take a 36-24 lead with 19 seconds left in the second quarter. Bayport-Blue Point had scored the first eight points of the quarter to open a 24-15 advantage.

“When we can get our steals and transition and finish, we are a very tough team to beat,” Kings Park coach Tom Edmundson said. “That was the difference in the game. That was the complete difference in the game for sure.”

Gianna Zawol had 13 points, Emily Clemens eight and Maddie DiRusso seven for Kings Park. Ava Meyn had 17 points for Bayport-Blue Point (15-7).

The Kings Park backcourt, including Melanie New, Georgiana Svolos, DiRusso and Zawol, forced multiple turnovers with their pressing defense before midcourt to spark the 21-0 run. The Kingsmen look to carry that defensive intensity into their first Long Island championship appearance.

“I expect it to be a challenge,” New said. “But I think with our defense, we can beat any team.”

Bayport-Blue Point used a 12-7 third quarter to cut Kings Park’s lead to 43-37, but the Kingsmen opened the fourth quarter on a 10-0 run and kept Bayport-Blue Point off the scoreboard for the first 7:25 of the period.

“I’m so happy with this team in particular that we were able to leave our mark and we’re creating a legacy,” Currier said. “We’ve just come so close these past few years and I’ve watched us fall short by a little bit. I’m so happy this year we were able to seal the deal and get the county championship we’ve been looking for.”

But Kings Park isn’t satisfied yet.

“I’m feeling optimistic going into the [Long Island championship game],” Currier said. “And maybe we’ll be able to make more history next week.”