“When we made that championship run two years ago, I expected for us to go undefeated,” SWR head coach Adam Lievre said. “We were just that good. This year has been a surprise. I didn’t expect us to be undefeated this deep into the season. Our defense has been carrying us all season long, and it showed up again today.”

Mt. Sinai, the second place team in the league at 6-1, did give the Wildcats some problems. They kept the game close from the start and at one point stretched their lead to as many as six points in the third quarter, behind the sharp-shooting of guard Mia Betancourt, who scored a game-high 15 points.

When the Wildcats needed help on the offensive end, Leslie Jablonski answered the call. The guard came off the bench and drained two three-pointers in crucial situations, contributing 12 points in a game that saw only two Wildcats score in double digits.

“I just made sure I was setting my feet before every shot, breathing and relaxed,” Jablonski said. “This game was a real eye opener. It felt like a playoff atmosphere out there.”

Ashley Bell, captain and senior point guard, was the only other Wildcat consistently finding the bottom of the net, adding 13 points as the defenses on both sides of the court really shined. “We lost to them twice last year, so for us to beat them now shows how much stronger we got,” Bell said. “Even though they didn’t have one of their starters, it was still a major test for us against a team we’re going to see in the playoffs.”

When the Wildcats began to fall behind in the third quarter, Lievre considered shifting to 1-3-1 zone on defense. Then Bell hit the first of two free throws, before Shealyn Varbero came up with the rebound on the second attempt and found Anabel Keegan in the corner for a three pointer to cut the lead to one.

“That play completely shifted the momentum,” Lievre said. “Instead of making a change we just stuck with what we were doing, and we were able to take back control of the game.”

The Wildcat defense toughened up and started pressing Mt. Sinai into turnovers. SWR held the Mustangs to just four points in the fourth quarter. Lievre kept Varbero and Jablonski on the court for the duration to help the defense respond. The duo combined for seven steals, including three in the final minute. SWR amassed 25 steals on the game.

The win over Mt. Sinai clinched the Wildcats playoff spot — for the 18th consecutive year.

“Going undefeated the rest of the year would be great, but it really doesn’t matter,” Lievre said. “Once the playoffs come, it doesn’t matter what seed you are or what you did during the regular season. It doesn’t matter what color jersey you’re wearing. Everyone gets a fresh chance out there. It’s just about being at your best come February. The important part was getting in. Right now for us, it’s imperative to get our offense going. Our defense is always going to keep us in games but we need to make our shots.”

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It was a revenge game for Kings Park after enduring a tough loss in the Suffolk County championship to the Wildcats last year. Ryan Currier, the lone returning starter from that Kings Park’s team made an immediate impact on the defensive end of the court.

The 6-foot-2 senior center dominated the paint and refused to let any Wildcat inside the lane uncontested. Currier set a precedent from the opening tip, notching eight blocked shots, including six in the first half.

“I think overall we played well,” SWR head coach Adam Lievre said. “Currier blocked about a thousand shots in the first half. The fact that we got the shots in that spot is because we did what we were supposed to do. We broke the press, moved the ball, and we just needed to come up with another way to shoot the ball over her.”

The first quarter featured a lot of defense and very little scoring as both teams combined for 18 turnovers.  After ending the first quarter tied 4-4, Kings Park, behind their stellar defense, started to pull away and extended their lead to as many as 12 points before halftime.

“We talked about trying to take different approaches to get around [Currier],” Lievre said. “We started taking some three point shots but they weren’t falling either. She really altered the game plan for us and it made all the difference.”

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Shoreham Wading River junior Grayce Kitchen shoots from the top of the key. (photo credit: Bill Landon) Shoreham Wading River senior Juliana Mahan fights her way to the rim. (photo credit: Bill Landon) Shoreham Wading River senior Juliana Mahan drives the lane. (photo credit: Bill Landon) Shoreham Wading River sophomore Kady Keegan lays up for two for the Wildcats. (photo credit: Bill Landon)

Though the Wildcats tried to fight back from a 16-point hole in the third quarter, they only got as close as nine points back in the fourth quarter as Kings Park never let off the pressure. Their constant press forced errant passes that turned into easy, fastbreak baskets. The game quickly got lopsided. 

The loss in the Class A semifinals doesn’t diminish what this team was able to accomplish — only a year removed from losing four of their five starters. It’s not easy to put together another contender but they had as good a shot as anyone to win the county crown again.

“It took time for us to get it all together this year,” Lievre said. “I looked at it today. We’re missing 80% of our points from last season. So it’s a lot. I don’t know many teams that lost that many points, two all-county players, three five-year varsity players and to start 0-3 this season and still get to the county semifinals is something to be proud of.”

Juliana Mahan, the one returning starter from last year’s championship team, was mostly double or triple teamed when she got the ball in the paint. The senior was only able to muster six points on the night and was visibly upset afterward.

“Mahan had a great career,” Lievre said. “She was the piece we really needed last year for the championship. With all the guards that we had, we really needed a big [center] to be able to rebound and finish down low and guard the other bigs. We needed someone to be in charge of the middle. And she did that. So although it would’ve been nice to win back-to-back county championships, she was a big part in winning the first one for the school and that banner is up there for good.”

Mahan and Tiana Barone are the only Wildcats who will graduate this year, so next season also looks promising. Sophomores Kady Keegan (11 points) and Leslie Jablonski (10 points) led the team in scoring against Kings Park.

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Shoreham-Wading River had a rough start to the season as head coach Adam Lievre scheduled some of the best schools in higher divisions such as Division I’s William Floyd and Division II’s Commack. Those teams combined for a record of 39-1 over the course of the season. The Wildcats took their lumps early on and just proceeded to get better as a unit.

Playing in Division VI, the Wildcats finished the regular season with four consecutive wins, including a 59-16 victory over Southampton last Thursday. The only league losses the Wildcats suffered were against Mt. Sinai — the eventual division winner. 

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Shoreham-Wading River senior Juliana Mahan banks two at home against Southampton. (photo credit: Bill Landon) Shoreham-Wading River senior Tiana Barone scores for the Wildcats at home against Southampton. (photo credit: Bill Landon) Shoreham-Wading River sophomore Leslie Jablonski banks two for the Wildcats in a home game against Southampton. (photo credit: Bill Landon) Shoreham-Wading River junior Alyssa Bell scores in a home game against Southampton. (photo credit: Bill Landon)

The Wildcats’ 10-2 league record earned them the No. 4 seed in the Section XI Class A bracket — a far cry from their 20-0 and No. 1 seed from last year. 

“I thought we would be the three seed at the end of the season,” Lievre said. “We have the third best record and we’re tied with Sayville. And honestly we have more quality non-league wins.”

But the seeding committee thought otherwise and awarded Sayville the No. 3 seed. Shoreham-Wading River will start its defense of the Suffolk County title against No. 5 seed Islip on Friday. The game will take place at Shoreham-Wading River High School with game time slated for 5 p.m. 

“In order to win a playoff game you need to play well in all facets of the game,” Lievre said. “You have to play good defense, you have to take care of the ball and you have to make shots.”

The Wildcats will rely heavily on Mahan to make a bunch of those shots. The senior scored 22 points in the season finale against Southampton and has eclipsed the 30-point marker twice this season.

“It’s going to be a matter of coming in focused and ready to play,” Mahan said. “I’ll be watching film all week long trying to study my opponent. I won’t be leaving my computer much. I’ll do anything it takes to win.”

Islip finished League V with a 9-3 record but struggled in their non-league schedule, going 1-6 the rest of the way. They are led by Carley Mullins, who averages 12.9 points per game. Their only win against a team going to the playoffs was against Sayville in a 47-37 win on Jan. 24. Mullins scored a game-high 16 points in that game.

Mahan will need her partner in crime, Alyssa Bell, to also be a major contributor come playoff time. Though Bell didn’t start last year, she was the first off the bench and played important minutes. Bell has averaged 11.2 points per game this season but twice scored as many as 19 points. Grayce Kitchen, Haylie Abrams, Kady Keegan and Charlotte Erb also figure to be part of the puzzle of playoff success. 

With the week-long layoff, Lievre has scheduled scrimmages against Mattituck and Patchogue-Medford — two playoff teams in different classes. 

“We need to try to stay sharp,” Lievre said. “We’ll work on some new things in those scrimmages. Maybe I’ll pick up some things in film that I want to focus on but the main thing is to stay in good basketball form.”

Even as the No. 4 seed, Lievre says the title is wide open and there is no real team to beat like they were last year.

“One through five, there’s not much that separates the group,” he said. “It’s just going to come down to who makes the plays in the crucial moments. Nobody has that resume where you point to that team and say, ‘Well they’re the best.’ It’s truly anyone’s tournament.”

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