Cold Spring Harbor girls basketball's quest for repeat state title falls short
Olivia Mulada of Cold Spring Harbor works the ball past Grace Gleeson of Yonkers Montessori Academy during the NYSPHSAA Class B girls basketball Southeast Regional final at Farmingdale State College on Sunday. Credit: Peter Frutkoff
After winning its second straight Long Island championship, the Cold Spring Harbor girls basketball team had one thing on its mind: repeating as state champs.
The Seahawks may have fell short of that goal, losing 58-44 to Yonkers Montessori in the Class B Southeast Regional finals on Sunday at Farmingdale State, but sophomore guard Ainsley Dircks said this team’s story isn’t over yet. With no one graduating, the entire roster will return next season.
“This shows how much potential we have,” Dircks said. “This is a completely different team from last year, so this shows how much we can do in a short time and makes next season even more exciting.”
Despite being in a tight faceguard for the majority of the game, junior guard Olivia Mulada still quarterbacked the offense and led Cold Spring Harbor (19-5) with 15 points. Sophomore center Eloise Rice added 13 points and 10 rebounds.
“We tried to get her open in screens and attack in transition as much as we could,” coach Rory Malone said of Mulada. “We expected it and she deserves to get those faceguards because she’s so good with the ball and a huge part of our offense.”
Cold Spring Harbor led for the entire first half, taking a 22-18 edge into the break. But the game swung in the third quarter, as Yonkers Montessori went on a 15-0 run that resulted in a 37-27 lead.
“We struggled with turnovers,” Malone said of the game-changing third quarter. “That played a big part. Credit to [Yonkers Montessori], they hit some big threes to turn the tide and left us playing catch-up. It was uncharacteristic of us, but this will be motivation for next year.”
Eighth-grader Anisa Mustafaj led Yonkers Montessori (22-3) with 17 points, including five three-pointers. The Eagles will face Mechanicville in the state semifinals at 3:15 p.m. Friday at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy.
The Seahawks believe they could make it back to the final four next year.
“Obviously, this isn’t the result we wanted,” Mulada said. “But we won't take this for granted. We’re grateful to have had this season so far and the Long Island championship win. We’ll just be back for more next year.”
Tess Ferguson is a reporter on Newsday's high school sports staff. She joined the team after graduating with a journalism degree from Ithaca College in 2025.
