Shani Clark leads Suffolk South to win at PAL All-Star Senior Tournament

Whether she was sinking a three-pointer from the logo or yelling at an opponent to contest a shot while fixing her hair, Bay Shore’s Shani Clark made one thing clear; she was having fun.

Clark smiled and laughed her way to a game-high 25 points in Suffolk’s 2025 Police Athletic League All-Star Senior Basketball Tournament, leading Suffolk South to a 75-59 win over Suffolk North in the championship game at Patchogue-Medford High School Saturday.

The tournament, which saw Suffolk West defeat Suffolk East on the boys side, 71-65, featured four teams filled with some of Suffolk’s best seniors. Each team played two games.

“It’s the last time, being a senior and everything,” Clark said. “I just went out there to have fun and do what I do best.

Clark, along with Bay Shore teammate Khaleis London (10 points) and Amityville’s Alana Henry (eight points), formed an imposing offense with North Babylon point guard Jasmine McKay running the show. McKay scored 13 points and logged seven assists, highlighted by a pull-up jumper off the dribble to beat the buzzer at the end of the first quarter.

“I know everyone here can score, because everyone’s here for a reason,” said McKay, who was named MVP. “I use my passing ability to get everyone else involved.”

Huntington’s Lauren Donaghy led Suffolk North in scoring with 17 points, including a deep three-pointer that had a spectator in the stands muttering, “That’s a far shot,” before the ball swished in.

Clark and McKay both shared their appreciation for the intensity the event provided, but without the animosity that can come with competitive sports.

“I really enjoyed it, because there wasn’t a lot of pressure,” Clark said. “It wasn’t like we had to win; I got to pass the ball around and laugh and joke, and just be myself.”

Rocky Point boys basketball star Casmere Morrow echoed that sentiment, earning MVP honors on the boys side as he led Suffolk East past Suffolk West in the championship. Morrow scored a game-high 16 points as his team battled back after trailing 34-27 at halftime.

“With all these great players here and out of all of them, I’m the MVP, it feels nice,” Morrow said. “It felt really nice to throw a lob and just have fun on the court.”

The game featured no shortage of alley-oop attempts, the best of which came off a pass from North Babylon’s Kameron Quinn to Jayden Mack-Currie as the Wyandanch senior slammed home a two-handed dunk for Suffolk West while slapping the backboard on his way back down to Earth. Quinn led Suffolk West with 14 points.

Rocky Point’s Max Wignall added to the festivities for Suffolk East with a nasty block off the glass in the second quarter, later slamming in another dunk in the third quarter to tie the score at 40. Westhampton’s Jorden Bennett helped close out the win, scoring three of his 11 points along with a block, steal and rebound inside the game’s final 55 seconds.

Longwood’s Adam Eljamali, who scored nine points, said his Suffolk West team embraced the chance to represent their schools one final time in a game filled with the skills of varsity sports and the spirit of pick-up basketball.

“We’ve all heard of each other, obviously, so it was good to put names to faces and form friendships on the court,” Eljamali said. “It just overall feels good to be back on the court in a high school game with high school players.”