Samantha Lynch scored a career-high 23 points and added six steals to pace the Huntington High School girls’ basketball team to a 56-29 victory over host Half Hollow Hills West. The Blue Devils have won 14 consecutive games and are undefeated entering the final two weeks of the regular season.
Hills West took it to the Blue Devils early, outscoring Huntington over the opening eight minutes, 11-6. The tide swung in the second quarter as the Blue Devils’ offense started to click. By halftime, Huntington had grabbed a 24-18 lead.
While the Blue Devils have vanquished every opponent this winter, one gets the sense the team is still not playing its best basketball. There have been stretches of utter domination, like last week’s 21-1 third quarter run at Hills West, but there has also been too many missed shots and turnovers. Huntington head coach Mike Kaplan is working to tighten his team’s play on both ends of the court and he intends to push his players hard over the next two weeks.
Find out what's happening in Huntingtonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
While Lynch was having a career scoring day, teammate Heather Forster was turning in another solid effort with 11 points, 18 rebounds, four steals and three blocked shots. Point guard Katie Nugent, who has been splendid running the team’s offense, added seven points and eight assists. Caitlin Knowles and Mackenzie Maloney had four points each.
Lynch transferred to Huntington from Our Lady of Mercy Academy after previously attending St. Patrick’s School on Main Street in the village. She has been a welcome addition and has fit in well with her Blue Devil teammates, quickly becoming indispensable to the squad’s success.
Find out what's happening in Huntingtonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
“Being new to the team, it took a while to adapt to our fast style of play, but my teammates and coaches were extremely supportive,” Lynch said. “I love my new team and am looking forward to our success in the future. It is definitely exciting to be undefeated this late in the season, but the team does not want to take anything for granted. We are just trying to take it one game at a time. Although it can be challenging to keep the intensity up, each win provided us with the motivation to continue to work hard, knowing that the effort is paying off.”
Over the final 16 minutes of play against Hills West, Huntington went on a 32-11 scoring binge to put another notch in the team’s win column. Katie Reilly, Emma Hughes, Anna Gulizio and Brooke Baade combined for seven points. Joellen Ceide contributed eight big rebounds.
* * *
Earlier in the week, Huntington easily topped visiting Deer Park in Louis D. Giani Gymnasium, 57-32. Forster had 20 points, 18 rebounds, eight steals and six blocked shots. The Blue Devils opened a 14-4 first quarter advantage, extending the lead by halftime to 30-13.
Huntington had some uneven stretches, but they weren’t long enough to let Deer Park threaten. Lynch had nine points and Ceide had eight points and eight rebounds. Baade dropped in a pair of three-pointers for six points. Emma Hughes had five points. Nugent scored four points and added eight assists and six steals. Caitlin Knowles contributed four points and Reilly scored a point from the free throw line.
