Gathman helps Northport beat Sachem North

Northport boys volleyball has been labeled a "team on the rise" over the past few seasons, a label that is nice but comes without the satisfaction of accomplishment.

In front of a deafening home crowd, the No. 2 Tigers moved to the doorstep of a county title, beating No. 3 Sachem North, 25-19, 20-25, 25-21, 25-13, in a Suffolk Class A semifinal Monday.

Pat Gathman had 34 assists and Brady Ambro had 14 kills and three digs, as Northport (16-1) advances to play No. 1 Lindenhurst in the county final, Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at Longwood HS.

"We made it, we're happy right now and we are going to give it our all in the final," Ambro said.

Northport took control of Game 1, rolling to an 18-8 lead that withstood a furious Sachem North rally. Gathman added a clutch block to give Northport a 23-18 advantage and to regain control of the game.

The Flaming Arrows (10-6) won Game 2 to even the match, as a Northport service fault at 20-18 started a run of four consecutive points.

But in the third game, the Tigers rallied from a four-point deficit, as the sputtering Flaming Arrows offense failed to execute on its serve receives.

SEE PHOTOSClass A semifinals: Northport 3, Sachem North 1

That carried over to a dominant fourth game, which coach Bobby Hamel ranked among the season's five best.

"We felt it," Gathman said. "We've been dreaming about it all season, and we finally seized the opportunity."

Added Ambro: "By the fourth game, we were like, 'we got this, let's go.' We were playing as good as we could."

For seniors such as Ambro, Gathman, Adam Stolls and Lars Farber, Monday's triumph lessened the blow of last year's loss in the county semis to eventual Long Island champion Half Hollow Hills.

"We've worked extremely hard the entire season," Gathman said. "And now we're an all-around volleyball team."

In the clinching game, it all came together; the team that had been on the cusp had finally broken through.