Bandrowski's 28 help Center Moriches win Suffolk B-C title

Jessica Bandrowski's 18th birthday didn't start out in an ideal manner yesterday. The Center Moriches senior point guard battled the flu the past four days, and was not feeling well in the morning - just hours prior to her team's Suffolk B-C championship game against Stony Brook.

By game time, though, it was very hard to tell that Bandrowski wasn't at her best. The 27 points she scored, including five three-pointers, was the perfect remedy as she keyed Center Moriches' 44-28 victory at St. Joseph's College.

Center Moriches (14-6) will play the winner of Kings Park-Harborfields in the Small School championship Thursday at 5 p.m. at Farmingdale State.

"I was feeling it," Bandrow-ski said. "I knew from the first shot I was on."

Bandrowski scored seven points in an 11-8 first quarter, and added nine more in a 14-9 second quarter to give Center Moriches a 25-17 lead. After Emily Carmel (13 points) made a three-pointer to bring Stony Brook (19-2) within 28-23 with 3:48 left in the third quarter, Bandrowski drilled two long three-pointers to push the Red Devils' lead to 34-23 after three quarters.

It was the second straight game that Bandrowski accounted for most of the Red Devils' offense. She scored 15 points in a 35-32 win over Mattituck in the Class B championship Tuesday.

"[Amber] Davis carried us for six weeks and now Jessica has been carrying us," Center Moriches coach Rich Alifano said. "We have two great leaders."

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Once again, the Red Devils defense suffocated an opponent in the second half. They allowed one field goal against Mattituck, and held Stony Brook to three second-half field goals and 11 points.

"It's all about defense for us," Bandrowski said. "When our defense is on, we're tough to beat."

Regardless of the outcome in the Small School championship, Center Moriches plays Locust Valley for the Long Island Class B championship on March 9. If the Red Devils win that game, their state tournament hopes would be tested by the Section I/IX winner.

"It's my senior year and I want to win," Bandrowski said. "It would be a big deal to make the final four."