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2006 All-Long Island Girls Basketball

BY ERIK BOLAND | Newsday Staff Writer

April 2, 2006

A look at the girls basketball players who stood out on Long Island high school varsity squads in the winter of 2005-06.

Chanel Chisholm, North Babylon, 5-11, Jr.

Exciting open-court player who averaged 21 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals as North Babylon rolled to an 18-4 record in capturing League IV and earned the No. 1 seed in the Suffolk Class AA playoffs. North Babylon was upset in the semifinals by Longwood but that did not diminish Chisholm's standing.

Caila Desroches, Glenn, 6-2, Sr.

Desroches, who is headed for Northeastern, averaged 21 points, 15 rebounds and two steals as Glenn went 22-3 in qualifying for the Class A state semifinals. Desroches became an even more polished player in the post this season and was nearly impossible to shoot over.

Gina Giambanco, Massapequa, 5-9, Sr.

Fordham-bound guard averaged 16 points, six assists, six rebounds and five steals. Never gave up on defense, which was evident in this year's state Class AA semifinal, when Giambanco stole the ball three straight possessions in trying to lead a fourth-quarter comeback against eventual state champ Rush-Henrietta (Section V).

Tesia Harris, Hills West, 6-1, Jr.

Do-it-all guard transferred from St. John the Baptist and helped lead Hills West to a 17-4 record and the second round of the Suffolk Class AA playoffs. Harris averaged 19 points, 16 rebounds, four assists, three steals and four blocks as she emerged as one of Long Island's best players and a Division I recruit.

Kirsten Jeter, Elmont, 5-11, Jr.

Helped comprise one of the Island's top front lines, along with Kaitlin Grant, as Elmont (19-2) pushed Massapequa to the limit in the Nassau Class AA final. The physical Jeter, who averaged 16 points and 10 rebounds, developed a midrange jumper at midseason and was virtually unstoppable thereafter.

La'tasia Lee, Longwood, 5-9, Sr.

Lee, headed for Canisius, averaged 17 points, 10 rebounds, five steals and three assists as Longwood went 19-4 and won Suffolk League I. Lee scored 13 of her 27 points in the fourth quarter of the Lions' Class AA semifinal, leading fourth-seeded Longwood to the upset of the year, a 62-53 win over top-ranked North Babylon.

Samantha Prahalis, Commack, 5-7, Soph.

Those who say Prahalis shoots excessively spend too much time in online Web forums and not enough time watching games. Prahalis averaged 24 points, but also a team-best seven assists and five steals, helping a young team to a 17-4 record and a share of the League II title, the Cougars' first in 35 years.

Wendy Szczerbiak, C.S. Harbor, 6-2, Sr.

The Lehigh-bound Szczerbiak was impressive during the regular season, averaging 19 points, 17 rebounds and four assists, but turned it up in the playoffs as she averaged 25 points and 20 rebounds as Cold Spring Harbor (13-9), which entered the postseason as a No.4 seed, advanced to the state Class B semifinals.