Brooke Cergol hits winning shot for Mount Sinai
Mt. Sinai's Brooke Cergol shoots the three-pointer with 5.6 seconds remaining for the 48-45 win on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2018 at Shoreham-Wading River. Credit: Joseph D. Sullivan
With 5.6 seconds left on the clock and an undefeated streak at risk, Gabby Sartori had one play in mind for Mount Sinai.
“I didn’t even flinch,” the junior said.
She passed the ball to Brooke Cergol and from the left side, Cergol sank a three with ease to break a tie and win it for the Mustangs against host Shoreham-Wading River, 48-45, Thursday in Suffolk VI.
“It was so surreal,” Cergol, also a junior, said. “When I saw it going in, so many emotions ran through my mind. We knew this was going to be a close game. Being challenged like this was good for us.”
Mt. Sinai hasn’t had such a closely contested game since November when the Mustangs played Hauppauge, where something similar happened.
“At the beginning of the season, Brooke gave the ball to me so I can get the game winner, so today I wanted to give it back to her,” Sartori said. “She’s been working really hard and she was the spark today. I knew she was on right from the start.”
Shoreham took the lead in the first quarter and maintained it through the half. Mt. Sinai went into the locker room at halftime and came out a different team in the third quarter.
“We get this new energy after halftime,” Cergol said. “We all come together, we talk, we have a little time to breathe and we just bring something else to the floor.”
Sartori continued, “Coaches lit a fire under us at the half. We’re a third-quarter team. We’re known to get after it and that’s what we did.”
Mt. Sinai finally took the lead at the end of the third quarter, 36-35. Shoreham quickly took it back in the fourth when Abby Korzekwinski (12 points) scored on a layup. Mikayla Dwyer (14 points) sank a two-pointer after making the score 45-41.
Sartori sank two free throws and Olivia Williams tied the score at 45 with under two minutes remaining in the fourth. After Cergol’s shot took the lead, Shoreham inbounded the ball and attempted a three-pointer to tie. The shot was missed and Sartori rebounded the ball to end the game.
Sartori and Cergol each finished with 18 points. Sartori had six rebounds. Holly McNair was the leading rebounder with eight. Williams finished with seven rebounds.
The Mustangs improved to 11-0 in Suffolk VI and 15-0 overall. They were on a similar streak last season with one key difference.
“Last year we were undefeated until we came to Shoreham and they broke our streak,” Sartori said with a smile. “I didn’t want history to repeat itself. Being undefeated is kind of nice.”
