By TONY BELLISSIMO
But in the decisive game, it was clear which team wanted it more.
The Lady Cougars, led by seniors Elana King, Lexi Stone and Dana Coletto, junior Katie Sheehan and sophomore Stephanie Bauman, captured their first-ever county title by outlasting the Lady Warriors in a two-hour marathon, 25-18, 24-26, 25-19, 23-25, 25-15. The teams split matches during the regular season.
"We knew it was going four of five games and nothing was going to come easy," said King, who had a firm grip on the championship plaque following an emotional celebration. "This is huge for our program and school. It's so amazing. Everyone played great. The only way we were going to do this is if we did it together."
King, arguably the premier setter in Nassau County, had 35 assists, 29 digs and 11 kills. Stone had five of her 10 kills in the final game, Coletto had seven straight service points to seal the championship, Sheehan racked up 42 digs and Bauman totaled 26 kills.
"This match was a summary of our whole season," coach Allen Ma said. "It was a battle, and the girls stayed unified and worked together. They're a family on and off the court. I'm really proud of them. It's going to be great to see a banner on the wall."
Leading two games to one, Kennedy raced to a 5-1 advantage in the fourth game behind the serving of Coletto and Sheehan but soon faced a deep hole after Wantagh scored 19 of the next 26 points. Bauman and Stone then led a comeback that brought the Lady Cougars within 24-23 before an out-of-bounds serve allowed Wantagh to force a fifth game.
Though disappointed they couldn't complete the comeback and close out the match, Ma said he felt the tone for the decisive game was set. "Whenever you go four of five games, there's going to be momentum swings," he said. "I thought we went into the fifth game feeling confident."
The teams split the first 18 points in Game 5 before Stone and Bauman stepped on the gas. Stone served for three points, including an ace, to make it 12-9, and Bauman later smashed a pass from King to keep the lead at three, 18-15. Seven points from victory, Coletto took serve and Stone took over. The latter put away five points down the stretch, including a title-clinching kill.
"Win or lose, it would have been a great season," Ma said. "But when you come this far you want to win. You could see how much our girls wanted it when they went out there for the fifth game."
The Lady Cougars finished 16-2 overall. They came up short against Harborfields in the Long Island Class A title match on Saturday. Their only other loss came after 10 straight Conference II victories. Looking back, King said she thought Wantagh's five-game comeback win over Kennedy on Oct. 17 wasn't such a bad thing, even though it spoiled a perfect regular season. "Even though we knew we had to keep working hard, I think it was a little reality check," she said.
Ma said he believes encouragement from fans, especially the Cougar Nation, helped the team along the way. "The support we got from the student body, faculty and parents was unbelievable," he said.
Comments about this story? TBellissimo@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 204.
