Smithtown Christian girls' season ends in state 'D' regional final
Abbey Loiacono, driving in the first quarter, had 13 points for Smithtown Christian in state Class D Southeast Regional final on Friday, March 11, 2022. Credit: Bob Sorensen
All good things eventually must come to an end.
After a stunning upset over Livingston Manor in the semifinals on Tuesday, Smithtown Christian’s Cinderella run came to a close Friday when the Knights lost to Franklin, 61-17, in the state Southeast Regional Class D girls basketball final at Half Hollow Hills West.
"We knew it was going to be a tough game," coach Jim Roselle said.
"We kept telling the girls this was going to be like a David and Goliath . . . we’re a young team."
Abbey Loiacono scored 13 points for Smithtown Christian (8-10). Kayla Campbell had 27 for Franklin (19-1).
"The height really got to us. It’s been a struggle all season, but we fought through it," Isabella Alesi said.
"We fought really hard, we didn’t give up throughout the game, but yeah, the height was huge," Loiacono said.
Franklin, with three 5-10 players, pressured the ball at midcourt and forced multiple turnovers that led to transition points. Franklin led 13-0 after a quarter and 30-4 at halftime.
When asked what the team’s message was coming out of the break, Loiacono said, "Basically not to give up, keep on fighting the rest of the game. Even though we were down, we wanted to play like it was a new game in the second half."
"Just slow the game down. We are a young team and the nerves were getting to us," Alesi said. "Slow the game down, take your shots and keep going from there."
Coming out of intermission, not much changed, as Franklin outscored Smithtown Christian 19-5 in the third quarter.
The Knights’ most competitive quarter came in the fourth, when they were outscored 12-8. Loiacono scored eight points in the closing quarter.
"We have a very young team, so that’s what’s really exciting and we have players who want to get better and want to get in the gym and work more," Loiacono said. "We’re just going to keep on going up from here."
"We’re a family and we love these girls," Roselle said. "Just the fact that we got to where we are today . . . I’m telling you next year is going to be totally different."
