School News

Lady Generals win Kim Klein Memorial Tournament

Posted

The MacArthur girls’ basketball team won the second annual Kim Klein Memorial Tournament last month, which was held at the Levittown school on Dec. 8 and 10. The event honors the memory of Klein, who died in 2015 after battling breast cancer. 

MacArthur serves northern sections of Wantagh and Seaford. Levittown School District leaders said that Klein was a tremendous supporter of the Lady Generals basketball program; her daughter, Angeline, is a senior member of the team. 

Erin Vaughan Ware, a Seaford resident, spearheaded the tournament last year to honor her friend and teammate’s mom. After approaching Principal Joseph Sheehan and Head Coach Dave Radtke, the idea took off.

“I’ve played sports with her since we were 4 years old,” Vaughan Ware said about Angeline. “Mrs. Klein was always in the stands cheering us on through everything and when I realized we were not going to hear her voice again, I decided to do something so we could feel her spirit.”

Sheehan said that Kim, a Levittown mother, was always actively involved in her children’s education and athletics. She also held a presidency position on the Levittown PTA board and was an honorary life award recipient. 

“Kim Klein was a fantastic lady,” Sheehan said. “She was one of MacArthur’s biggest fans and she never gave off any type of negativity. She was a true warrior.”

Once again, Angeline and her teammates played in honor of her mother. In the opening round of the 2016 tournament, MacArthur beat East Meadow High School, 64-32. 

MacArthur jumped out to a 17-0 lead to start the first game and never looked back, officials said. East Meadow couldn’t find an answer for the Generals full court press and shooting from behind the three-point arc. The team connected on a season-high 11 three pointers. Angela Cozza (14 points), Angeline (12 points) and Shannon Myles (8 points) led MacArthur. Annie Zielinski and Dorianna Cardon also contributed six points each, and Kristen Cassidy and Mackenzie Tierney each chipped in five points. 

The Lady Generals moved into the championship game to face their cross-town rivals at Levittown’s Division Avenue High School, who beat Wheatley in their first-round matchup. MacArthur started out slow, trailing Division 9-0 at the start of the game. But coaches said that the team settled down and rallied to take a 23-20 lead  at the half. 

MacArthur seized the first place thanks to a “smothering defensive effort in the fourth quarter,” officials said, outscoring Division 14-2 in the final frame. Gabby Volpe (12 points), Agneline (11 points) and Cozza (10 points) paced the offense while Myles, Tierney and Amanda Peluso anchored the defense, they added. 

Myles won the Most Valuable Player Award. Klein, Ally LaMonica (Wheatley),  Emily Shurina (East Meadow) and Nora Tracey (Division) were named to the All-Tournament team. 

The event doubled as a fundraiser for a new memorial scholarship in Kim Klein’s name. School officials said the award would be presented to an outgoing senior of the basketball program annually who  “shows the character and strength that Kim Klein embodied.”