Pierson/Bridgehampton's ride ends against Millbrook
Pierson's Celia Barranco (33) puts up a shot in the first quarter during the Suffolk High Schools girls basketball Class C finals between Smithtown Christian and Pierson on Friday Feb 15, 2019 at Centereach High School. Credit: Bob Sorensen
The Pierson/Bridgehampton girls basketball team hit a roadblock on the road to the state finals Saturday, falling to Millbrook, 55-26, in the Class C regional final at SUNY New Paltz.
Celia Barranco led the Whalers with 10 points and Katie Kneeland added nine.
Erin Fox scored 28 points for Millbrook, the defending state champion.
“They were a tough team and we came out a little flat,” Pierson coach Kevin Barron said. “Fox was sealing off our girls for easy layups, so we started helping to her when she got the ball, but she was very smart and would find the open girl.”
Fox, a junior committed to play basketball at Marist, scored her 28 points on 13 two-pointers and two free throws while helping Millbrook dominate the offensive and defensive glass.
“They got almost every offensive rebound, and we didn’t get a lot of second chances,” Kneeland said. “We could have taken our time a bit more on offense and passed around more, but I am very proud of us on defense. We played our hearts out.”
Pierson (19-5) is left with plenty to be proud of after a deep playoff run. The Whalers dominated small school competition, winning 19 straight games at one point and beating rival Mattituck three times. They also proved competitive against bigger schools with an early-season win over Bishop Kearney (Rochester) and hung tough with Mount Sinai in the overall Suffolk championship before losing, 69-55.
It was a memorable ride.
“This has been by far the best, most tight-knit team I have ever been a part of,” said Kneeland, a five-year varsity player. “I’m going to miss the games where we worked our butts off to earn a win. We certainly have plenty to take away from this season.”
