Savaglio key to Harborfields' county title
Justin Ringen of Harborfields looks to pass the ball while closely defended. (March 6, 2011) Credit: David Pokress
JoJo Savaglio was a student at Long Island Lutheran last March when he sat in the stands at Hofstra and watched Sheldon Hagigal of Westbury hit a pull-up jumper to beat the buzzer and his hometown high school, Harborfields, in the Long Island Class A championship game.
"That was heartbreaking, even to me," the sharpshooting forward said.
Savaglio already had made up his mind by then that he was going to transfer to Harborfields for his senior year, after three years in LuHi's program. He was thinking ahead and thinking big.
"Since the day I came back, getting to Glens Falls is the goal," Savaglio said.
If Harborfields' boys basketball team is able to make its first trip upstate in school history, Savaglio undoubtedly will play a big part.
"As soon as he told me he was transferring, I knew he was the missing piece - the fifth starter we were looking for," coach Chris Agostino said after Savaglio scored 20 points, including four three-pointers, to help the Class A champion Tornadoes win the program's first Suffolk overall championship, 81-51, Sunday over Class AA champion Half Hollow Hills West at Farmingdale State.
On Sunday at Stony Brook University, Harborfields (19-2) will face Nassau Class A champion Manhasset, and Hills West (16-5) will face Nassau Class AA champion Elmont. The winners will advance to the state semifinals at Glens Falls the weekend of March 18-20.
The Colts elected not to play their starters in yesterday's game, which had no impact on next weekend's Long Island championship. The Tornadoes did not play their top two scorers, Matt McLeod (toe) and Nick Fessenden (concussion).
But the other Harborfields starters - Savaglio (7-for-11 shooting), Justin Ringen (19 points) and Lucas Woodhouse (13 points, 11 assists, five steals) - played until early in the fourth quarter and were too much for the young players Hills West used.
Harborfields broke it open with a 27-point second quarter to lead at halftime 45-27.
"I've played with those guys all my life," said Savaglio, who left Harborfields after eighth grade because his parents liked the academics and basketball at Lutheran. A coaching change at the private school in 2009 prompted the Savaglios to consider having JoJo transfer, and they made the move last summer.
"We felt it was the best thing for me to do,'' Savaglio said. "My teammates welcomed me back from Day One."
So did Agostino. "He's a very good shooter and a smart player," the coach said. "He knows when to pull it out and when to take it to the rim."
The Tornadoes did both, at will, Sunday. "They played a great game," Hills West coach Bill Mitaritonna said.
