Bonomi, McNally give Northport girls win

Paige Bonomi heard her coaches screaming her name several times in the first half but it was for good reason. The Northport attack was being instructed to run an isolation play, which she did to perfection.

Once she got the ball roughly 15 yards to the left of the goal, Bonomi drove to the net and read the defense to see whether to pass it off or fire a shot on net.

"I'm looking for the first step on the defender," Bonomi said. "If I don't have it, look to pass, see if anyone else is open, see if I can draw anyone. If not, then just go to the goal and shoot."

The play, "One Bonomi," can be used for any of Northport's players but it worked especially well for Bonomi, a junior committed to USC, who had a career-high four goals and three assists and senior Kiera McNally had a career-high five goals to lead Northport over West Islip, 20-11, in a Suffolk Division I girls lacrosse game Tuesday afternoon.

The scoreboard was not indicative of how competitive the game was. After West Islip scored to make it 14-11 with 3:44 to go, the fourth time in the second half the Lions trimmed the deficit to three goals, Northport went on a six-goal run to turn what had been a 47-minute battle of two of the county's top teams into a runaway.

"We gave it our all," West Islip coach Joe Nicolosi said. "We got to shoot better. When we have a chance to capitalize and make a goal, we've got to shoot. We had plenty of opportunities to score. We just didn't hit the back of the net."

West Islip neutralized the Nos. 1 and 3 scorers on Long Island, Shannon Gilroy and Cortney Fortunato, in the first half. Northport had an 8-4 lead at halftime despite Gilroy having only an assist and Fortunato being held scoreless.

SEE PHOTOSNorthport 20, West Islip 11

"If I couldn't get open and I was being face-guarded, then my teammates are going to be wide open and that's how we're going to win the game," the Florida-bound Gilroy said.

The Tigers (10-0) adjusted by balancing their attack across the depth chart as Allie Breitfeller, Fortunato, Gilroy, Erin Magnuson and Dorrien Van Dyke each scored two goals.

"I think we played more as a team today," Northport coach Carol Rose said. "It was about Paige, it was about Erin Magnuson, other players being able to get it done and not relying on those two kids all the time. I was so proud of them that they were able to do that."

Loren Ziegler had three goals and three assists and Erin Collins had three goals and an assist for West Islip (8-2).