Gilroy's 10 goals lead Northport past North Babylon
Northport Girls Lacrosse player Shannon Gilroy (11), on her way down the field during her teams game vs North Babylon. (April 6, 2010) Credit: Photo by Richard Slattery
Next year at this time, Bria Hartley may very well be celebrating a national championship with UConn's women's basketball team.
But Tuesday on the lacrosse field, the Island's best girls basketball player took a back seat to the Island's best girls lacrosse player - Northport's Shannon Gilroy.
Gilroy, a junior, tied a school record by scoring 10 goals and also had two assists in the Tigers' 21-9 Division I victory over visiting North Babylon.
Hartley, who could have remained in San Antonio to watch her future teammates last night after playing a high school all-star game there Saturday, had four goals and two assists. But she didn't find the stat sheet until her goal with 18:39 remaining in the second half. Gilroy guarded her most of the game.
"She's so fast," Gilroy said of Hartley. "We knew she was their go-to girl. She makes us want to play our best."
With a full scholarship to the nation's top women's basketball program, Hartley could have opted to end her lacrosse career. But her love of the game trumped the injury risk.
Matchups such as yesterday's against Gilroy get her juices flowing. "I have a competitive nature," she said, before adding, "their talent definitely overpowered us."
Gilroy has scored 18 goals through two games, in which Northport outscored its opponents 47-18. Said Northport coach Carol Rose: "Our attack was overwhelming for the defenders."
Paige Bonomi added four goals for Northport, her last coming with 11:21 to play to give the Tigers an 18-7 lead.
Though Hartley was bedeviled by three unsuccessful free-position shots and a pair off the post in the first half, she did a nice job against Gilroy on draws in the first 25 minutes, as North Babylon (0-2) won 12 of 15. Turnovers and missed shots allowed Northport to take an 8-1 lead 14:30 into the game. And Gilroy, of course.
"It's a little frustrating," Hartley said about not being able to stop Gilroy, "but she's a great player."
Like Hartley, Gilroy is excited to get to the next level, as she already has committed orally to Florida. But she's in no rush to leave Northport just yet. Said Gilroy: "I just want to stay in high school for now. I still want to win a state championship here."
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.
