Glanzman lifts C. Moriches to Suffolk title

If there were questions about Center Moriches' ability to play without star forward Amber Davis, Kelsey Glanzman made sure she answered them all.

Davis, sidelined by a sprained ankle suffered Friday in the Suffolk Small Schools championship, watched as Glanzman had 19 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Red Devils to a 46-40 win over Deer Park Sunday for the Suffolk overall championship at Farmingdale State.

"It's hard losing Amber because she has such a big impact on the team, but Coach [Rich Alifano] told us we each had to step up," Glanzman said. "And that's what we tried to do."

Sunday's game had no impact on the immediate future of either team. Deer Park is one win away from a trip upstate, while Center Moriches needs two more victories.

Center Moriches plays Cold Spring Harbor for the Long Island Class B title at 7:30 p.m Tuesday at SUNY-Old Westbury. The winner of that game faces the winner of the Section I/IX Regional semifinal on Friday for the right to go the NYSPHSAA tournament in Troy beginning March 18.

Deer Park needs only to defeat Baldwin in the Long Island Class AA final Friday at 8 p.m. at Hofstra to earn a trip to Troy.

But there was still a game to play, with Suffolk bragging rights on the line.

SEE PHOTOSCenter Moriches 46, Deer Park 40

Glanzman scored on consecutive possessions to give Center Moriches a 15-12 lead with 5:00 left in the half. Deer Park never regained the lead.

"Glanzman really played unbelievable," Deer Park coach Mike Gennaro said. "She really picked up the slack for Davis. She made some really tough shots for them."

Glanzman hit her only three-pointer with 4:49 left in the third to give Center Moriches a 13-point lead. The Falcons answered with consecutive threes by Andrea Desvignes and Nicole Gomez, and the lead was cut to four late in the third.

With the momentum shifting to Deer Park, Takia Plummer's three-point play with less than a minute left in the quarter steadied Center Moriches and gave it a 39-29 edge entering the fourth.

"I was trying to pick up our team because we were getting down," Plummer said. "We were getting stressed out, but we had to calm down and remember how they played."

Added Glanzman: "We just calmed down and relaxed. We picked up our defense, slowed it down and just played our game."

Center Moriches countered with a full-court press for much of the fourth quarter, as it continued to bottle up Desvignes. Deer Park's leading scorer had only seven points.

Desvignes and the Falcons have four days to regroup before facing Baldwin for the Long Island championship. "The winner of that game gets to go upstate," Gennaro said. "That's enough motivation for the kids. I don't think we'll have any problem getting ready for Friday."

As for Center Moriches, Davis also will miss tomorrow night's Long Island final, according to Alifano. But if Glanzman can carry the team again, it might not need her.