High School Girls Basketball

BY ADAM RONIS

The final four is down to the top four seeds, the teams most people thought before the season were the top teams in Suffolk Class AA. These teams are pretty even and anyone can emerge as the champion. It should be a great night of basketball.

Monday
Suffolk Class AA semifinals at Eastport-South Manor
No. 2 Commack vs. No. 3 North Babylon: A rematch of last season's county championship game won by North Babylon. Commack barely survived in the quarterfinals, almost blowing a 14-point first-half lead before eking out a 54-53 win over Ward Melville. Commack had a lot of trouble scoring in the first half. Was it due to a very good Ward Melville team or Commack's vulnerabilities? It all starts with Sammy Prahalis, a McDonald's All-American, for Commack and I would expect to get double-teammed. Commack needs a big offensive contribution from someone else, whether it's Kaitlin Milazzo, Kristen Haller from the perimeter or Noreen Masciello. North Babylon presents a tough matchup with junior Eugeneia McPherson and sophomore Bria Hartley. Both are capable of carrying the offense for North Babylon. If Prahalis guards one, who will guard the other? Hartley had 28 points, including 16 on 8-for-8 shooting in the second half against Hills West in a quarterfinal 69-42 win. North Babylon used a 38-14 second half to break the game open. If North Babylon is playing its trademark defense, it can shut teams down. It's very difficult to go against a player with the drive, determination and talent of Prahalis, who is on a quest to win her first county championship in her final season before leaving for Ohio State. This game could go either way, but North Babylon is a bad matchup for Commack. PICK: North Babylon

No. 1 Sachem East vs. No. 4 Copiague: I have been very impressed with Copiague, which is playing as good as anyone. Copiague is very quick and good defensively. The junior tandem of Ieasia Walker and Gabrielle Gibson is one of the best. Walker puts the ball in the right spot for her teammates to finish. Copiague is so adept at getting inside and to the basket that the Eagles get very good looks at the basket. Copiague also gets good contributions from Jasmine Campbell, Chelsea Williams, and Dominique Cunningham. Copiague doesn't have much size, but it counters that with quickness and good rebounding from its guards. Sachem East has had a great season. The Flaming Arrows have lost just two games; a one-point overtime loss to Hicksville and a loss to Molloy (Queens). Sachem East cruised through the league schedule, winning each game by at least double-digits. Sophomore Kristen Doherty is one of the best on Long Island on both sides of the ball. Add in Nicole Caggiano, Ashley Caggiano, Stefanie Mignone and Ashley Gyscek and the Flaming Arrows have a good unit. Keep an eye on how Sachem East comes out early. Its path to the semifinals last season is similar to this season and the Flaming Arrows faced a huge first-half deficit against Commack it couldn't overcome. A year of experience should help them avoid that. This will be a very close game and could also go either way. PICK: Sachem East

What do you guys think?