High School beat notes: Jarmek-Thompson lead SH

TENNIS

Sacred Heart's girls experienced a radical shift this summer after the school opened its varsity team to underclassmen for the first time, but it's a testament to its formidable first doubles team that, rather than getting swallowed up in the change, Sam Jarmek and Sara Thompson are thriving in it.

The duo, the only team to take a match from powerhouse St. Francis Prep last year, is spearheading Sacred Heart's continuing improvement in doubles. "We've worked a lot on our doubles teams' strategies," co-coach Peggy Finnegan said. "We've been trying to concentrate on communication as players." Doubles, Finnegan said, "is more of a head game" -- strategy rather than raw power.

This year is the third year that Jarmek and Thompson have played together, including one year on junior varsity, and the girls, two of the team's three captains "are very good at talking to each other," Finnegan said. "They're good leaders and they teach the girls to do what they do to each other." Namely, recognize a partner's strengths and weaknesses and placing the ball in the right spots.

The girls are two of only three seniors on the team -- third captain Caroline Kelly, a singles player, is the other.

FIELD HOCKEY

Pardon the old TV show reference, but Alyssa Milano showed who's the boss -- at least for a day -- with a breakout game last Thursday. The Rocky Point forward scored five goals in leading the Eagles to a 7-1 win over West Babylon. Those were also the first goals of the sophomore's career. She pulled the hat trick in the first half and tallied two more in the second.

"One [goal] would've been great," coach Katie Bittner said, "but what she did was amazing." Before the season, Bittner had warned that Rocky Point was in a rebuilding phase after having lost several seniors, but she was optimistic about this "really talented player up from JV," whom she believed would eventually develop into a good scorer. Sometimes eventually comes immediately.

"She just does it," the coach said. "She has a presence and just knows how to get the ball in . . . She's smart and her teammates trust her with the ball."

Bittner, in her fourth year as coach, said she can't remember seeing such an offensive performance. "I'd imagine it's been a long time," she said. "We rarely score five goals in a game as a team."

SWIMMING

Ward Melville won the Suffolk League I Championship on Thursday with a score of 387. The Patriots were led by Rachel Bertini, who took first in the 50 freestyle (:25.9), and Jessica Fabrizio, who won the 100 breast-stroke (1:09.6).

Half Hollow Hills finished second with a score of 334 and Selina Ng qualified for the state championships with a time of :57.29 in the 100 butterfly. Smithtown came in third with a 223 and Deirdre Connor qualified for states with a 1:56.73 in the 200 freestyle.

Connetquot won the League II Championship on Thursday with a score of 350 led by Claudia Reyes, who won the 200 freestyle in 2:00.41. The Thunderbirds also won the 200 medley relay (1:52.76) and the 200 freestyle relay (1:42.91)

Sayville/Bayport-Blue Point won the League III Championship on Friday with a score of 288. Emma Henderson led the way with a second-place finish in the 200 individual medley (2:21.71).-- DORIC SAM