Blue Devil Girls’ Basketball Enjoys Splendid Season

The Huntington varsity girls’ basketball team enjoyed another fine season, compiling a 12-4 record in league play and a 13-8 mark overall. The Blue Devils lost at the buzzer in the Suffolk playoff quarterfinal round at William Floyd.

The young team was coached by Perry Marinelli and Megan Marinelli. Lanyah Ford was the JV team’s coach. Ava McDonald, Jolie Weinschreider and Grace Gordon served as team captains.

Marinelli preached all year about having the right mindset. “With this team, we always talk about our mindset,” he said. “Sometimes things may go wrong, mistake will be made, but it is how we respond to these events that define us.”

The team’s top players included:

Ava McDonald: “Ava is the heart and soul of our program,” Marinelli said. “She is whoever we need her to be on any given night.” The junior averaged 12.5 ppg, 3.6 assists and 2.9 steals.

Jolie Weinschreider: “Jolie is a true captain who has helped shape our culture,” Marinelli said. “This season, she had to step up into a major offensive role on our team.”

Grace Gordon: “Grace is another great captain who has led by example all season long,” Marinelli said. “She is constantly asked to guard the opposing team's center, even though she is a guard,” Marinelli said. “Grace has taken on this job with pride and has been a major reason for our defensive success.”

Madyn Kalb: “Madyn is our defensive stopper,” Marinelli said. “Every game she is asked to cover the opposing team's best player, and every game she holds them to below their scoring average. She held the county's top scorer, who was averaging 25 ppg, to 11 points.” She averaged 6.2 rebounds per game.

Leighton Evans: “Leigh, in her junior year, stepped up into a starter role after playing sparingly off the bench last season,” Marinelli said. “She has grown tremendously and has been a major part of our success.”

McDonald, Weinschreider and Kalb were named to the All-League team. Weinschreider, Grace Gordon, Ruby Baliber and Ruby Hoffman garnered Academic All-County awards. Gordon was Huntington’s Unsung Hero Award recipient. The three All-League players will learn soon if they are also All-County.

Season highlights included a 10 point victory over Ward Melville, the top team in League II and the Suffolk tournament’s No. 3 seed. The Blue Devils took county No. 2 seed to the final buzzer of the Suffolk quarterfinal round playoff game.

“We have three starters returning, along with a lot of younger players who should be able to step up and play big roles,” Marinelli said. “The future is bright. We should have success again next year. Hopefully make the playoffs and a deep run, hopefully to the county finals.”