Thursday, October 1, 2026
The Oceanside girls’ basketball team has already shown marked progress from a season ago, reaching the midway point of the winter campaign firmly in the mix for a playoff spot in the competitive Conference AAA-1.
The Sailors improved to 5-6 overall and 3-2 in conference play on Jan. 9 by holding off Hicksville, 40-38, in a tightly-contested game. Oceanside built an 11-point halftime lead before Hicksville rallied in the second half, setting up a frantic finish. Senior Karley Handleman converted a layup with a minute left and the Sailors managed to close out the game with a defensive stop to preserve the victory.
The win continued a strong turnaround for an Oceanside team that won just three times last season and opened this winter 0-4, with its first three games coming outside the conference. The Sailors’ league opener on Dec. 9 resulted in a 54-40 loss to Uniondale, but the group responded two days later with a season-defining breakthrough.
Oceanside stunned Herricks, 48-46, in overtime on Dec. 11 after trailing 25-17 at halftime and 32-26 after three quarters. The Sailors outscored the Highlanders 5-3 in overtime, with senior Gianna Belone sinking two free throws with 10 seconds remaining to seal the win.
The victory sparked a 5-2 run over their last seven games.
“I think finally we started to figure out how to come together and play basketball,” head coach Jared Stoler said. “We have a lot of varsity inexperience on the team. It took us a while to kind of get used to the speed of the game.”
Offensively, Oceanside has been led by junior Ella Murray, who entered the Hicksville game averaging 14 points per contest and had been the team’s top scorer in seven of the first 10 games. Handleman has provided a steady complement, averaging close to 10 points per game and scoring 10 against Hicksville.
“Ella is a freak athlete,” Stoler said. “She does absolutely everything on the floor. She has a motor that is unmatched. Karley, she's been with us now for three years. She's someone that I can rely on, someone that's tough, someone that's not afraid of anything.
“They definitely work well together,” he continued. “They created just a little bit of a Batman-and-Robin type relationship on the floor.”
Belone’s impact has extended well beyond scoring. The senior averages close to 10 rebounds per game and has delivered in key moments, including her decisive free throws against Herricks.
“I’ve got to give a lot of credit to our senior, Gianna Belone,” Stoler said. “She’s someone that doesn’t really show up in the stats. She is on the boards. She is just as fierce as any other girl.”
Anna Sokoli ranks third on the team at just under six points per game and fellow sophomore Kylie White has stepped into a starting role with junior Bella Marsicano out with a medical issue and has “grown tremendously,” according to Stoler.
The Sailors resume conference play at home against Valley Stream Central this Friday at 6:45 p.m. before entering a one-week break.
