Center, English score 30 each in Smithtown West win
Shneeka Center of Smithtown West, center, is double teamed by Kellie Cortina, left, and Kristin Cleary of Northport. (February 24, 2010) Credit: Photo by David Pokress
Her surname and rebounding prowess suggests that would be the position Shneeka Center should play on the basketball court. But Center isn't even 6-feet. The Smithtown West senior forward battles with 6-5 teammate Sara English and last night had to go against Northport's 6-3 Stephanie Leon for rebounds.
It doesn't matter to the 5-11 Center, whose tenacity and physical domination was on prominent display. If there was a rebound, she was likely going to get it. Center grabbed a career-high 33 rebounds for No. 4 Smithtown West in a 70-53 home win over No. 5 Northport in a Suffolk Class AA quarterfinal. Oh yeah, she scored 30 points and had five assists and three steals, too.
English, a senior, had 30 points and 15 rebounds, including 8-for-12 from the field in the second half for Smithtown West, which will play top-seeded North Babylon in the semifinals at 7:30 p.m. Monday at Farmingdale State.
Center has 2,184 career points and moved into fourth place on the all-time scoring list for Suffolk public school players. Center scored at least 30 points for the ninth time this season.
The Davidson-bound Center and English, who will play at UMass, hadn't led Smithtown West (16-4) to a playoff win before this season.
"I've been waiting for this since eighth grade," Center said. "It bothered me every year we lost. We're here and now we're going to play in front of more people than we ever have."
Every time Northport (16-3) made a charge, Center was usually the one who provided the answer. When Northport threw the press at the Bulls late in the first half, Center dribbled through the entire Northport team and fed English for a jumper to make it 28-20 at the end of the first half.
Three times midway through the third quarter, Center drove the lane, drew defenders and fed English for three easy baskets, the latter giving the Bulls a 48-35 lead late in the third.
"We've been playing together for a while," English said. "Shneeka and I work well together."
Said Smithtown West coach Katie Combs: "When they're working together and click for a whole game, they're pretty hard to stop. They're both so powerful."
The Bulls also got good guard play from Annie McCutchen (10 assists), Kirsten Viscount and Samantha Bossert, who handled the press well.
"They did a great job," Center said. "Everyone says our guard play is terrible. Obviously, it's not if we just beat Northport."
Grace Schilling scored 14 points and Vanessa Palmeri had 12 for Northport.
"I thought we would get some more turnovers off the press," Northport coach Rich Castellano said. "Center was great and that was the best game I've seen English play. Even their other players played well."
Out East with Doug Geed: Wine harvests, a fish market, baked treats and poinsettias NewsdayTV's Doug Geed visits two wineries and a fish market, and then it's time for holiday cheer, with a visit to a bakery and poinsettia greenhouses.
Out East with Doug Geed: Wine harvests, a fish market, baked treats and poinsettias NewsdayTV's Doug Geed visits two wineries and a fish market, and then it's time for holiday cheer, with a visit to a bakery and poinsettia greenhouses.
