Molly Wolfson is bright spot for Pierson in loss to Tuckahoe
Molly Wolfson of Pierson attempts a free throw in the second quarter of the state Class C Southeast Regional final against Tuckahoe on Sunday at Suffolk CCC-Selden. Credit: Michael A. Rupolo Sr.
It’s been five weeks since the Pierson girls basketball team has been in action.
After a slow start, the Whalers were firing away and went back and forth with Tuckahoe, the Section I champions.
Sophomore Molly Wolfson was on fire from beyond the arc, nailing five threes and totaling 17 points for Pierson, but Tuckahoe managed to pull away.
Pierson fell, 55-42, to Tuckahoe in the Class C girls basketball Southeast Regional final at Suffolk County Community College on Sunday.
“These kids committed to me and I really appreciate that,” Pierson coach Woody Kneeland said. “A lot of these kids may be going to school for other sports, but I am proud they committed to this game today. It was a long wait, five weeks, but they were committed and that’s what it’s all about.”
Tuckahoe took a 10-3 lead after the first quarter. To start the second, Wolfson found a groove. She scored eight points and her team went on a 10-0 run in just 2:52.
“I just got in the flow state,” Wolfson said. “I wasn’t thinking about anything. In the first quarter I was nervous out there. But the second quarter I zoned in and it felt like everything was going in.”
Tuckahoe took a 21-19 lead into the half. To start the third quarter it was more of Wolfson. She connected on a pair of corner threes to give Pierson a 27-26 lead with just over five minutes to go in the third quarter.
“She is the best shooter we’ve seen all year,” Tuckahoe coach Silvio DiSalvatore said. “We had to put Brooke Matarazzo on her. We call her the energizer. We had to key in on [Wolfson] and made sure we hit the glass better in the third quarter.”
Josie Mott of Pierson (12-7) connected on a layup to tie the score at 29 with four minutes remaining. Then Tuckahoe went on an 18-2 run to close out the third quarter and start the fourth, taking a 47-31 lead. Matarazzo and Grace Kem combined for 13 of those points.
Tuckahoe remained in control, maintaining a double-digit lead for the rest of the game. This is the fourth straight year Tuckahoe is advancing to the state semifinals.
“They have been here before and we haven’t,” Kneeland said. “It was a great experience here today. This team started two sophomores, two juniors and an eighth grader, so very young and we have a lot of kids coming up.”
