Thursday, October 1, 2026
There were so many Seaford heroes in its gigantic comeback win in the unbeaten Nassau Conference A2 girls basketball showdown at North Shore Jan. 15.
The rising freshman star center, 6-footer Samantha Richardson, scored 15 points with 17 rebounds. The standout backcourt of junior Emily McGowan and sophomore Bridget Grosser combined for 16 points (8 apiece.) Grosser, the point guard, was poised down the stretch hitting two late game-sealing free throws in the 47-42 victory.
Freshman Leah Conklin was superb on defense and junior Jozie Collichio (6 points) helped get Seaford back in it after falling behind by double digits.
The victory put Seaford (6-0) in sole possession of first place in A2 as both squads entered with 5-0 clips. The rematch is at Seaford Feb. 12.
"It's nice getting the first one,'' said Seaford head coach Stephanie Bartkus, the former Mepham star. "The hope is we can get them both times.''
The biggest revelation of this wondrous season is Richardson, who played varsity as an eighth-grader before exploding as an interior freshman force (averaging 10 points, 14 rebounds, 2 steals and one block).
"It was just amazing,'' Richardson said of the win. "Last year we were neck and neck with them every game. It's such a big victory and will help us excel the rest of the season.''
Bartkus calls Richardson a "rebounding machine.'' "She just always steps up in really hard games,'' Bartkus said. "She's such a huge presence. We're very lucky.''
Richardson, a three-sport athlete who also plays volleyball and track, posted a 23-rebound game against Long Island power McArthur.
Her 6-5 father, Russell, has been a big boost. "My father always said it's about drive, heart and determination going for every rebound,'' Richardson said.
Down 14 with 2:45 left in second quarter, Collichio kept penetrating the defense, drawing fouls. She only netted 6 points but got North Shore into foul trouble. The deficit shrunk to 7 at intermission.
The defensive star was Conklin. "She played unbelievable on-ball defense, made deflections,'' the coach said. "It was so important in that second half. She didn't come off the floor. People noticed – like, "Who is that kid?"
Bartkus also made an offensive adjustment at halftime, putting McGowan in different spots after being face-guarded in the first half. McGowan is averaging 15.8 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 3.5 assists. She didn't shoot well versus North Shore by made some key baskets in the second half to finish with 8.
Her backcourt mate, Grosser, a sophomore, carried Seaford late. "We wanted to put the ball in (Grosser's) hands,'' Bartkus said.
She went to the free-throw line three times in the final 1:30 and sank two with 20 seconds left to extend the lead to 5 points. She's averaging 5.2 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals.
Despite being a younger team, Seaford could best last season's big campaign when it was 11-1 and co-conference champs with the other Vikings.
"The girls are young, so sometimes our offense isn't up to par,'' Bartkus said. "But we're very skilled and talented. What makes us such a threat is we have very good skill but the same time we hustle as a team. Sometimes talented team don't hustle because they don't have to.''
