10 things to watch in the Long Island high school basketball playoffs
Lilah Grubman of Syosset gets ready to take an inbounds pass during a Nassau Conference AA-I girls basketball game against Farmingdale at Syosset on Jan. 13. Credit: James Escher
With the boys and girls basketball playoffs set to begin, here are 10 storylines to keep an eye on during the upcoming weeks.
1. Will Baldwin’s reign over girls basketball continue?
The Bruins have won the last seven and 10 of the last 11 Nassau Class AA championships and have won their first nine games by an average of 30.8 points per game with great defensive intensity. Dallysshya Moreno leads Baldwin (9-0) with 17 points per game.
2. How far can Lilah Grubman take Syosset?
The 5-11 senior point guard committed to play at Yale can do everything on the court. She has complete control over the offense with her ability to attack the rim, shoot and create for others. Grubman is averaging 15.6 points per game, often playing limited minutes due to lopsided scores. Syosset (16-0) hasn’t won a county title since 2009 and if anyone is going to knock off Baldwin, Syosset and Grubman seem to be most likely.
3. A cluttered girls Nassau Class A
Take your pick for who is considered "the favorite" to win Nassau A this season. You could make an argument for many schools. There are teams with standout scorers, such as Mepham (Hailey Guerrero), Hewlett (Riley Weiss), Division (Olivia Agunzo), Mineola (Abby Walters), North Shore (Morgan Griffin) and Floral Park (Erin Harkins) with complementary pieces around them. Then quality teams like MacArthur, Garden City, Calhoun, Manhasset, Lynbrook, Plainedge and Wantagh could also take home the title.
4. The Riley Weiss effect
Riley Weiss of Hewlett, right, gets pressured by Bridget Basile of South Side during a Nassau Conference A-III girls basketball game at South Side on Jan. 8. Credit: James Escher
The standout Hewlett guard is having another phenomenal season after averaging 40.8 points per game over five games last season. She is averaging 39.6 points per game through 19 games and could will Hewlett on a deep playoff run.
5. Class AA parity
There have been nine different Suffolk Class AA champions in the last 10 seasons. The parity from season to season is unparalleled and this year is no exception. Emily Plachta (Huntington) and Taydra Simpson (Longwood) are two dynamic playmakers that could lead their teams to titles. Other strong teams to watch include Northport, Commack, Whitman and Half Hollow Hills East.
6. A bevy of playmakers at top of girls Suffolk Class A
Suffolk Class A has had similar parity with six different champions in the last six seasons – and there’s a solid chance that number moves to seven if Kylie Kuhn (Deer Park), Lacey Downey (West Babylon), Sophie Costello (Shoreham-Wading River) or Jaxie Cestone (Kings Park) lead their teams to a title. Mount Sinai’s Casey Campo leads a strong team, looking to win its first county title since 2019.
7. Baldwin and Syosset on a collision course
Baldwin and Syosset are viewed as likely favorites to meet for the Nassau Class AA championship on the boys side. Both teams won their first 12 conference games with Syosset 17-0 overall and Baldwin 18-1. Baldwin has won five of the last eight Nassau AA titles. But Syosset looks to crash the party, led by the duo of Matt Lindenman and Andrew Zhou.
8. Elite scorers in boys Suffolk Class AA
Brentwood's Zatai Townsend moves the ball in the first quarter during a Suffolk boys basketball game against Floyd on Feb. 4 at Brentwood. Credit: Bob Sorensen
Zatai Townsend (Brentwood), Xavier Lewis (Half Hollow Hills East), Patrick Burke (Smithtown West) and Nick Watts (Northport) are four stud players on strong, deep teams with a great chance at a title. It will be fun to see them going head to head over the playoffs.
9. Battle of the Parks
Kings Park and Deer Park enter the boys Suffolk Class A playoffs as the favorites to meet in the finals. Deer Park’s Preston Edmead is the latest in a long line of elite, playmaking guards in the Edmead family for the Falcons (15-3). Kings Park has won its first 20 games, led by Matthew Garside. Both teams have played challenging non-league competition with Deer Park’s hopes of its first county title in program history and Kings Park seeking its first crown since 2007.
10. The CHSAA landscape
Chaminade’s depth and balanced scoring has carried the Flyers’ boys basketball team to the likely top seed. On the girls side, St. Mary’s is looking to avenge last season’s championship loss to Our Lady of Mercy. St. Mary’s has a trio of playmakers in Alisa Blalock and twins Taryn and Taylor Barbot. Our Lady of Mercy has a dynamic duo of Meghan Andersen and Sammy Shea. Should those two teams meet in the final, it will be a phenomenal game.
