Bandrowski leads Center Moriches to Suffolk 'B' title

Jessica Bandrowski took the ball after the rebound of a missed free throw and dribbled toward the Mattituck end. The Center Moriches point guard kept dribbling across the whole floor and had the ball in her hands for 28 seconds as the shot clock was winding down in the final 20 seconds of the game.

"Too many dribbles to count," Bandrowski said. "I didn't know what to do with the ball. I was so nervous. I was hoping to keep it in my hands and it would work out fine."

It did. Before the shot clock struck zero, Tashea Plummer was fouled with 13.7 seconds left. She missed both free throws, but Takia Plummer grabbed the rebound and fed it to Bandrowski, who was fouled.

Bandrowski hit one of two from the free-throw line with 10 seconds left to cap the scoring for No. 3 Center Moriches in a 35-32 win over top-seeded Mattituck Tuesday in the Suffolk Class B championship at St. Joseph's College.

Bandrowski scored 15 points, and she needed to deliver in the final minute because teammate Amber Davis fouled out with 57 seconds left and Glanzman fouled out with 44 seconds left.

"There was a lot of pressure on me," Bandrowski said. "I had to do it. I wasn't going to lose this game. We could win without them, but it would have been better with them."

Neither team could do much on offense. Center Moriches (13-6) outscored Mattituck 14-11 in the second half.

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"The defense on both sides was tenacious," Center Moriches coach Rich Alifano said. "There were good rotations and a lot of effort. We haven't shot that poorly in a long time, and you have to credit Mattituck for that."

Mattituck (14-4) had one field goal in the second half. The Tuckers were held without a field goal for 12:29 spanning the second and fourth quarters. Emily Ianno (10 points) hit a short jumper with 5:11 left to end the drought and pull Mattituck within 28-27. Davis then fed Glanzman for a layup and Davis hit a three-pointer with 3:17 left to give Center Moriches a 33-27 lead.

"That was a very big shot," Glanzman said. "I was going crazy when she hit it. It was a big turning point in the game."

Mattituck also struggled from the foul line, going 6-for-11 in the fourth quarter.

"It was tough to score a basket," Mattituck coach Steve Van Dood said. "We had shots go in and out and we missed foul shots. Sometimes it happens. It wasn't our night."

Center Moriches won its second county championship and first as a Class B school. The Red Devils will play Stony Brook for the Small Schools championship 6 p.m. Friday at St. Joseph's College. They will play Locust Valley for the Long Island Class B championship on March 9.

"This was what we wanted before the season started," Davis said. "We were waiting for this."