Abbey Loiacono rises above pressure, leads Smithtown Christian in state subregional

FLORIDA, N.Y. — The outside shot wasn’t falling early for Abbey Loiacono. But the leading scorer in Suffolk girls basketball this season didn’t let the early struggles get to her. The Smithtown Christian senior continued playing her style — attacking the basket, shooting from deep and creating havoc on defense.

She wouldn’t let Tuesday be her final high school game.

“Always in pressure situations, there are two options you can choose,” Loiacono said. “One is to level down and let the pressure get to your head, which is the easiest option. Or you step above the pressure and mentally have fun out there and play your game. And especially in the third (quarter), I just wanted to have fun out there.”

Loiacono, a five-year starter, scored 12 of her 25 points in the third quarter as Smithtown Christian defeated Webutuck, 36-28, in a state Class D girls basketball Southeast subregional at S.S. Seward on Tuesday.

Smithtown Christian (9-12) advances to play Oxford Academy (18-5) in the regional final at Binghamton’s Visions FCU Arena on Saturday. The time is to be determined. Webutuck finished at 6-14.

“Playoffs are like nothing else,” Loiacono said. “The intensity, the fans, it’s just so much fun and for my senior season to make it back here … I’m just very grateful we could make it here today.”

Smithtown Christian led 10-0 after the first quarter but Webutuck cut the Knights’ lead to 14-13 at halftime. Loiacono, who is averaging 27.9 points per game, scored nine in the first half.

The Knights used an 18-8 third quarter to open a 32-21 lead after the period. Loiacono, who added six rebounds and six steals, hit a deep three-pointer with five seconds left in the quarter.

“I think that was huge,” said Loiacono, who has scored 1,762 points. “We were kind of rushing in the beginning but then we slowed it down and played as a team more and I think that’s what really helped us in the third.”

Bryn Jansson added six points and Annalyn Loiacono, Abbey’s younger sister, had five points.

Smithtown Christian lost in the regional final last season. The team hasn’t forgotten that feeling and looks to go even further this winter.

“The goal for this season was to get to the New York state final four,” said coach Joe Loiacono, who is also Abbey and Annalyn’s father. “Win next week and we’re there. That was our goal all season and we’re going to Binghamton again.”

It’s been a thrilling experience for Joe Loiacono to watch his daughters shine from the sideline. He served as the assistant coach in previous seasons before taking the top job this winter.

“It’s amazing to be a father and to see them,” Joe Loiacono said. “I just encourage. They push themselves, I don’t have to push them. I just encourage and try to lift them up when they’re down.”

Smithtown Christian was one of two Class D schools on Long Island this season — meaning the vast majority of its games came against larger schools. But now that the enrollment numbers level out in the state tournament, the Knights want to prove how they stack against the rest of the state.

“As a team, we’re really excited,” Abbey said. “We were a little bit down at half but we were able to keep it high because we wanted to move on. We wanted this win more.”