Thursday, October 1, 2026
Before an all-important core of seniors says their farewells, Uniondale girls’ basketball may have one last chapter in store. Nearing the end of a 2025-26 campaign mired by injuries, poor weather and last-second renovations to practice facilities, the Knights might finally be rounding into consistent form, just in time for a late playoff push.
“Hopefully, it lights a fire for the girls, as they keep track of the standings,” head coach Nolan Dunkley said of the recent trials. “Right now, we hold this eighth place for playoffs, but we haven't had as much games as other teams have had, so that's our thing. We’re trying to be hungry.”
Last Saturday, Uniondale earned a 60-26 over Westbury on Senior Day, the second game since mid-January in which the Knights held their opponents to less than 30 points.
Despite this, they hold a 5-3 conference record (6-6 overall) with five games remaining and are still in control of their own destiny for a playoff spot. If they make the bracket, Dunkley said that they could surprise a higher-seeded opponent.
“We might sneak up on somebody,” Dunkley said. “If we get right at practice, and we get everybody there, I’m telling you, we can make it. That’s in my prayers every day. We just need to stay the course. I don't want them to bail out when we finally get some consistency.”
Any path forward for Uniondale will revolve around senior Zahara Saintyl, who has played nearly every position on the court while leading the Knights in scoring. She has scored at least 10 points in every start so far and dropped 20 on Westbury. On Jan. 8, she had 24 points and 13 rebounds in a big 43-40 win at Port Washington.
Dunkley said there have been points where he has felt the need to check in on Saintyl, worried that there was too much pressure on her to perform. She has held up well, however, consistently delivering for the Knights in one of the most outsized roles in all of Nassau Class AAA.
“I just wanted to check with her mentally to see if it was weighing on her too much,” Dunkley said. “If she stays the course and we get everybody back and we get it collected, hopefully, that'll ease her load. She just has to keep grinding and doing what she’s doing.”
To do right by Saintyl is to build around her on her final year, and several teammates have stepped up ahead of Uniondale’s march to the postseason. Senior Kayla Reid, a defensive stalwart from the beginning, has stepped up on offense to score 9.5 points per game.
Dunkley said senior point guard Eniola Adisa, who had 12 points in the win over Port, has grown more comfortable in a distributing role over time, setting up for minor improvements for the likes of Amaya Grier and Jahshelle Papin.
On Senior Day, sophomore forward Kelsey Green pulled Dunkley aside and told him she planned to become a leader for Uniondale in years to come. The coach made her focus on the task ahead, but as she has stepped up as a reliable scorer, it has become clear that she will be an immense part of the Knights’ future, which will be built in part by those who came before her.
