Long Island boys and girls basketball: Newsday's Hardwood Heroes
Michael Cascione of Smithtown West drives to the basket in the third quarter of the Suffolk Class AA championship against Half Hollow Hills West on Saturday, March 7, 2026, in Stony Brook. Credit: Michael A. Rupolo Sr.
BOYS BASKETBALL
Luke Brown and Michael Cascione, Smithtown West
Cascione had 28 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists, four steals and three blocks to help the No. 1 Bulls beat No. 2 Hills West for their first county title. Brown’s shooting off the bench, scoring 14 of his 16 points across the first and second quarters, broke the game open for Smithtown West.
Corey Faines, Bay Shore
Faines scored 20 points, including 13 in the second half, to lead No. 2 Bay Shore to a thrilling Suffolk Class AAA title over No. 1 Floyd.
Ryan Leary, Carle Place
He scored nine of his game-high 21 points in the fourth quarter to lift No. 1 Carle Place past No. 2 Cold Spring Harbor for the Nassau Class B crown.
Brendan Martin, Floral Park
His 24 points lifted No. 2 Floral Park past No. 4 Friends Academy and onto its second county title in as many years, setting up a must-watch rematch with Mount Sinai on Tuesday.
Brian Vales, Mount Sinai
Vales thrived both offensively and defensively against No. 3 Kings Park, finishing with 18 points 12 rebounds and three steals to lead the top-seeded Mustangs to back-to-back county titles.
Trevor Walsh, South Side
South Side reigns over Nassau for the first time since 2023 and second time since 2012. Walsh scored 23 points and shot 7-for-7 from the free-throw line.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Grace Brantuk and Kennedy Palmer, Garden City
Brantuk’s 12 points and 18 rebounds, and Palmer’s 24 points sparked No. 2 Garden City’s momentous win over top-seeded MacArthur in Class AA. The Generals had a 22-game winning streak snapped on Saturday.
Annalyn Loiacano, Smithtown Christian
The Knights marched past Eldred in the Class D Southeast Regional Final, with Loiacano providing 21 points to make it possible.
Olivia Mulada, Cold Spring Harbor
Mulada ensured the Seahawks would be back-to-back Long Island champions with a 27-point performance against Babylon in Class B.
Alyssa Polonia, Baldwin
Not only did Polonia score a game-high 19 points, but she scored 12 in the fourth quarter to lift No. 1 Baldwin past No. 2 Massapequa in the Nassau Class AAA final.
Maddie Richter, Whitman
For the third time in four years, Whitman sits atop Suffolk. Richter led the top-seeded Wildcats with 18 points, seven rebounds, two steals and a block against No. 2 Floyd.
Kayla Solomon and Tianna Thompson, St. Mary’s
Thompson had 25 points, eight rebounds, four assists and a steal to lift No. 1 St. Mary’s to a NSCHSAA Class AA title over No. 2 St. Anthony’s. Solomon ensured one more game for her stellar high school career by scoring 23 points against St. Mary’s of Lancaster in the state semifinal, breaking the 2,000-point mark in the process.
Kate Sweet of Westhampton gets out on offense in the third quarter of the Suffolk Class AA girls basketball championship against Harborfields on Friday, March 6, 2026 in Stony Brook. Credit: Michael A. Rupolo Sr.
Kate Sweet, Westhampton
Sweet led all players with 28 points to lift No. 2 Westhampton past No. 4 Harborfields. It marks a season high for the star senior, who helped the Hurricanes lift their third consecutive Class AA county title.
Allison Younghans, Plainedge
Younghans had a game-high 17 points. Plainedge won its first county title since 2022 and second since 1986.
Michael Sicoli covers high school sports for Newsday. He graduated from Quinnipiac in 2022 and left with a master’s degree in sports journalism in 2023.
