Laura Luikart, Kayla Pardini lead Smithtown West to victory
Laura Luikart (10 points, 15 rebounds) tries to get by Brentwood’s Chantelle Larbi on Friday, Jan. 6, 2023. Credit: Bob Sorensen
The moment Laura Luikart steps onto the court, she feels like a superhero.
Her superpower? Grabbing rebounds.
The senior forward pulled down 10 of her 15 rebounds and Kayla Pardini scored 13 of her 19 points in the first half as visiting Smithtown West defeated Brentwood, 64-50, on Friday in a Suffolk I girls basketball game. The Bulls converted defense into offense in building a 21-point halftime lead.
“Rebounds are what keeps me going during the game,” said Luikart, who averages more than 20 per game. “I love to look for my teammates, so when I grab that rebound, the first thing I’m going to do is see who’s open and try to get a fast break started.”
Luikart also contributed 10 points. “As the only starting senior, she’s the team’s leader,” Smithtown West coach Katie Schroeder said. “The girls strive to capitalize on [Luikart’s] defensive strength.”
She added, “We have a fairly young team and [Luikart] is an incredible leader. She tells the girls that every point on the board is earned by the whole team.”
Pardini wasted no time scoring on fast breaks and early offensive opportunities for Smithtown West (4-3). A minute into the second quarter, she got a steal and drove down the court for an uncontested layup.
“[Luikart’s] rebounds were crucial to us being able to take such a strong lead,” Pardini said.
“Our team is one that truly knows how to work together,” Schroeder said. “There is never one leading scorer. They all encourage each other to put points on the board and help us win.”
Brentwood (2-5) opened the second half by forcing three consecutive turnovers in two minutes. Jada Hood (18 points) and Emily Bennett were able to finish in an attempt to cut into Smithtown West’s lead. “The biggest thing we wanted to avoid in this game was turnovers,” Schroeder said.
Smithtown West managed only seven third-quarter points until Catherine Piccinnini hit a late three-pointer. Hood drove to the basket as many times as she could and Brentwood remained fierce in the paint until the final buzzer, scoring 31 points in the second half.
“We needed to keep playing smart,” Luikart said. “Even though they put a lot of pressure on us, there was never a moment where we felt like we couldn’t handle it.”
“Our offense was something we’ve struggled with throughout the season,” Schroeder said. “Tonight we finally saw how fluid and connected we could be, and I couldn’t be prouder of this team.”
