League Champs!

As this year’s basketball season is coming to a close, both the boys’ and the girls’ basketball teams are looking forward to advancing into the playoffs. Both teams have had a winning record this season; the boys are 16-2 and the girls are 14-1. With the final week of the season coming to a close, the Tornadoes are looking to end their seasons with a bang, winning the title of League Champions.

The Lady Tornadoes were able to secure the title as League V Champs in their away game at Sayville on January 28. It was a game to remember, with the girls pulling away a four point win in the last minute.

Behind captains Christiana DeBorja and Kate Tardo, the Lady Tornadoes have been beating their competition with their outstanding effort on defense, ending a season with a high of thirty seven points in their wins against Sayville and Islip. On the offensive end the girls have scored an all-time high of seventy eight points against the Lady Buccaneers of

Nothing is standing in the way of the girls’ goal this year of winning the state championship. Kate Tardo says, “I’m very excited because we have the best energy we’ve had for any team and the best momentum. We’re all together and we actually play like a team.” The Lady Tornadoes truly do play like a team, which is why they are so lethal on the court. Coach Lavey even repeatedly says, “There are no mopes or vibe killers,” which is perfect for the team because they will need to be at the top of their game when heading into playoffs with League Champions attached to their names.

The boys basketball team have also been having a season to remember. After losing four of their five starters, they have proven that they should not be overlooked having only lost one game in league play. Like the Lady Tornadoes, the boys team have only lost one game to Sayville, but have come out on top for the rest of the season.

With impeccable offense the Tornadoes have scored a season high of ninety two points in their win over Islip, an outstanding feat by any high school team. The title of League Champs, however, has come down to one game for the team, and fate would have it that it was also the senior game.

In the exciting senior game the Tornadoes pulled away with a win due to the outstanding defense in the last three seconds by senior Kyle Stolba. Although the Tornadoes had beaten the Amityville team by forty points the first time, this game had a different outcome. With less than five seconds to go the Tornadoes were only ahead by two points and Amityville had the ball but the Tornadoes still pulled away with the win. “It felt really good considering that’s one of two close league games this season. I feel like it really helped us to get ready for playoffs,” commented Ryan Stolba after the game.

After such a nail biting game the Tornadoes are hoping to come out of their first round of playoffs with a more decisive win but now they also know that they can pull together and keep the lead even in a tight game. Similarly to the girls’ team, the boys’ team will have teams coming for them because of their title as League Champs, but that doesn’t seem to frighten any of the boys as they continue to work hard in practice and end each day more confidently than the previous one.

League Champs is not the only title that both the boys and the girls are looking to secure this year. Playoffs are around the corner and the Tornadoes continue to work hard to make sure that they are at the top of their game when the time comes. The first round starts at home for the boys starts Friday, February 17 @ 4:00pm and the girls starts Saturday, February 18 @ 1:00pm.