Girls basketball spotlight: Emma Robins sets Division's all-time scoring record

Emma Robins thought it was the end of a quarter. Instead, it was her history-making moment.

Robins entered Monday eight points away from setting the Division girls basketball all-time scoring record and although she knew she was nearing it, Robins didn’t know exactly how close she was. Her approaching the program record became both a team and family secret wrapped into one. That's because the person keeping that information wasn’t only her coach. He was her father.

Robins, a senior forward, has played her entire varsity tenure for her father, Steve Robins. On senior day, Robins became the Division girls basketball program’s all-time leading scorer, setting the record on a jumper with 45 seconds left in the first quarter. Officials stopped the game when she set the record, but at the time, Robins just thought it was the end of the quarter before she realized those in the gymnasium were clapping for her.

“I never knew,” Robins said. “I wasn’t keeping track. I kept telling my Dad, ‘Don’t tell me,’ because I didn’t want to think about it. I was just focused on winning and winning the conference championship. And once it happened, I was kind of shocked. I had no clue I was so close.”

Robins finished with 17 points in a 53-36 victory over Bellmore JFK on Monday and she closed the contest with 1,358 varsity points. She surpassed Emily Gillis' record of 1,346 points, according to Steve.

“I’m happy I didn’t know because I didn’t want to think about that every time I took a shot,” Robins said. “I just wanted to play.”

Steve was the Glenn baseball and boys basketball coach before joining Division to be a part of the baseball coaching staff. When the girls basketball head coach position opened up, Steve took over in what he called a “happy accident.” Steve was an assistant coach for Emma’s youth basketball teams and loved the chance to coach her in high school.

“It’s been an outstanding experience to just watch her grow and she’s really a great teammate,” Steve said. “And that’s something I’m really proud of.”

Robins, who played three games in a shortened season because of the COVID-19 pandemic as an eighth grader before remaining on varsity, said playing for her father hasn’t come without a few challenges, but she’s loved the opportunity as well.

“I’m not going to lie and say it was easy because sometimes it’s hard to separate the two — Coach and Dad — and sometimes the line can get blurry,” Robins said. “Then you’re like, ‘Oh, I can’t talk to Dad like that. He’s Coach right now.’ It gets heated sometimes, but it’s never been a problem, and I think when I’m older one day, I’ll miss this time I had with him and him being my coach because he seriously taught me so much. I couldn’t imagine anyone else being my coach for basketball.”

Division is having a special season in the father-daughter’s final year in tandem. The Blue Dragons won the Nassau Conference AA-III title and finished the regular season 16-4 overall and can challenge for the Nassau Class AA title.

Being able to set the program record while playing for her father has been a memorable experience for Robins. But she is focused on having as much team success as possible during the postseason.

“It’s amazing and it wasn’t easy, but I’ve worked for it and I’ve stayed working for it,” said Robins, who will play softball at Cortland. “But the main focus really is to keep on winning. It’s nice and all, but I’m more focused on going far because that’s what really matters. In my opinion.”

Suffolk playoffs set

The Suffolk girls playoff brackets were released Tuesday and there are plenty of storylines to watch for the next few weeks. Brentwood is the top seed in Class AAA after going 18-2 behind Jada Hood, a six-year varsity guard, as Brentwood chases its first county title in program history. Whitman (16-4) will be a challenging second-seed as the two-time defending county champions. Jasmine McKay, Long Island’s leading scorer at 25.1 points per game, leads No. 3 North Babylon.

In Class AA, top-seeded Westhampton (19-1) chases its second straight county title behind standout junior guard Sandra Clarke. Shoreham-Wading River (18-2) is the top seed in Class A as the Wildcats seek their second county title in the past three years and Babylon (18-2) is the top seed in Class B in pursuit of its first county crown in program history.