Massapequa Girls Basketball Stunned By Uniondale to End Season

The No. 3 girls basketball team let a late lead slip away against No. 6 Uniondale in the quarterfinals of the Nassau Class AA playoffs, losing on its home court, 49-46. 

Massapequa had defeated Uniondale twice this season. In the first game between the two teams back in December, the Chiefs erased a seven-point deficit in the fourth quarter to come back and eventually defeat the Knights in overtime. The teams' third and final match up followed the same trend, but Uniondale was the side that put up the late run.

Sam DeSandis led the Chiefs with 10 points. Aliyah McDonald led the Knights with 16 points including the go-ahead basket with just 45 seconds remaining in the game.

Massapequa started off quick from the opening tip, going on a 6-0 run and eventually leading 11-2. However, Uniondale ended the quarter on their own 6-0 to trail 11-8 at the end of the first.

The Chiefs started off the second quarter on the wrong foot, committing two of their 21 total turnovers on their first two offensive possessions. The Knights took their first lead at 13-12 with six minutes to go in the half. The quarter featured seven lead changes and a tie as the pair of Conference I-AA rivals continued to battle back and forth. Uniondale led at halftime over Massapequa, 21-19.

With the score even at 23-23 early in the third, Massapequa made their move to pull away, going on an 8-1 run. Uniondale scored five quick points after a timeout, but Massapequa pushed away yet again after Nicole Scicutella’s second three-pointer of the quarter. The Chiefs held onto a 38-30 lead after 24 minutes.

After Massapequa scored on their first possession, Uniondale stormed back with a big 12-3 run. With the season on the line, the Knights were reminded of how this same team beat them in the end on the very same floor earlier in the season. McDonald put in a lay up to tie the score at 45-45 with 1:10 to go followed by the go-ahead bucket 25 seconds later.

After a free throw by Jayda Hyatt, Massapequa had a chance to tie as time ran down, but Danielle Doherty made a critical turnover to Sakara Hester-Torres. The eighth grade Uniondale point guard was immediately fouled and knocked down one of two free throws to go up 49-46.

Doherty’s desperation shot at the buzzer fell short as the Knights pulled off the shocking three-point win to set up a semifinal meeting with Farmingdale at Oyster Bay High School.

Heroes: McDonald scored a game-high 16 points and had two big baskets at the end to lift her team to the win over Massapequa.

Turning Point: With Massapequa ahead by 10 points with six minutes remaining, Uniondale made their run to pull within a single point. The momentum was on their side in the end to defeat the Chiefs for the first time this season.

Quotable: “They just won and the turnovers made the difference here,” Massapequa head coach Shari Roessler said. “It was a disappointing way to lose but I am proud of them and we will be back next year.”

“This game could have gone either way, but my kids showed a lot of composure and resilience and just showed that they wanted it,” Uniondale head coach Danielle Nicol said. “We dug in and got the stops in the end and never gave up when down in the fourth quarter. I am very proud of them.”

Bottom Line: Massapequa should expect to be back next year to make a run in the postseason, as they will graduate just two seniors in DeSandis and Taylor Elliot. The Chiefs finished the season with a 15-3 overall record.

Uniondale will attempt to take down a 17-1 Farmingdale team for a chance to head to the Class A finals. Uniondale was the lone team to defeat the Lady Dalers this season with a 47-38 win in January.

Key Stat: Despite a poor free throw performance from Uniondale (15-31 overall), they did enough in the end and outscored Massapequa 19-8 to pull off the monumental victory.

Team……………......1…..2…..3…..4 -- F

Uniondale….........8…13.....9...19 -- 49

Massapequa….....11.....8…19.....8 -- 46

U: McDonald 16, Hyatt 11, Elston 9, Hester-Torres 8, Wynder 5. Totals: 49. M: DeSandis 10, Doherty 9, Scicutella 9, Van Buren 9, Roessler 8, Elliot 1. Totals: 46. Three-Pointers: U: Elston 1, Hester-Torres 1; M: Scicutella 3.