Sewanhaka bumped in first round

Seeking to advance beyond the opening round of the Nassau Class A girls’ basketball playoff tournament for a fourth consecutive season, No. 8 Sewanhaka raced to a five-point lead over visiting Glen Cove after the first quarter last Friday afternoon.

But things unraveled quickly in the second quarter for the young Lady Indians, who couldn’t match the pace of the Big Red and saw their season come to an end with a 49-39 defeat. No. 9 Glen Cove, which won its first playoff game in more than 20 years and advanced to face top-seeded North Shore in the quarterfinals, scored the last 15 points of the first half — all by the sister tandem of Taylah and Tristyn Hudson — to lead by 17 at intermission.

“I thought they played a tremendous game,” Sewanhaka head coach Alex Soupios said. “They utilized Taylah Hudson in different ways to get her the basketball, and she was difficult to contain in transition. As soon as they rebounded the ball, she did a banana curl just before midcourt and they got it to her and off she went.”

Taylah Hudson finished with a game-high 19 points and added eight steals. Grace Brady had 10 points, and Tristyn Hudson chipped in nine. Junior Daniella Ford, who missed time in both halves after banging her head and shoulder on the floor late in the first quarter following a collision, and sophomore Casey Hayes had 11 points apiece to lead the Lady Indians, who went 10-4 in Conference A-II and 11-6 overall.

“Daniella’s a dynamic player and a huge part of everything we do,” Soupios said of his starting point guard. “We put her through all the protocol for a possible concussion and she passed the test twice. But without her for much of the second quarter, in the blink of an eye we were down double digits.”

Sewanhaka closed the opening quarter on a seven-point run, capped by a basket by junior Michelle Niles (10 points, 10 rebounds), and led 11-6. It was 13-8 early in the second after Tristyn Hudson and Hayes traded hoops, and that’s when Glen Cove head coach Greg Mayerhofer switched his defensive scheme.  

“This is a tough gym for a visiting team,” Mayerhofer said. “Alex does a great job and they’ve got a nice program. I thought we’d score, but I was concerned about our defense. We came out in a triangle-and-two, and it was worthless. But we switched to man and it worked out well.”

Glen Cove scored 24 of the next 26 points and led 32-15 at halftime. Its largest lead was 42-17 after Taylah Hudson’s steal and layup midway through the third. “Taylah is amazing,” Mayerhofer said. “I’m running out of adjectives for her. She’s one of the best players in the county.”

Ford returned late in the third quarter and helped Sewanhaka chip away at a deficit that in the end was too large to overcome. “We had a very successful season with a lot of young players,” Soupios said. “I’m really proud of this team and program.”