Panthers Scoreboard: Boys Basketball Logs Big Win While Girls Suffer Defeats

Boys Basketball

The Miller Place varsity boys basketball team had mixed results last week, splitting two games against the top two teams in League V.

On Jan. 18, the Panthers couldn’t keep up with first-place Harborfields (7-0) after the first quarter. The local team lost, 94-54, after being down by just one heading into the second.

Harbofields outscored the Panthers by 12 in the second and 20 in the third. Matt McLeod led Harborfields with an impressive 31 points, while Lucas Woodhouse added 18.

 "What I was impressed with was the fact that we played with them for the first quarter,” said Panthers coach Brian Sztabnik. “Then they trapped us a little bit and we had three turnovers. Tt was over from there."

Rebound at Islip

After dropping to 2-4 with the loss, the Panthers headed to Islip Thursday to try and keep their hopes alive in a must-win contest against the team right behind Harborfields in the standings. Last time out against Islip, the Panthers lost a heartbreaker in double overtime, and after the first quarter Thursday, things looked bleak as they were down by 11. After a better second quarter, the Panthers were down by just two heading into halftime, despite their top shooter Jack Hepburn scoring just two in the half.

In the second half, however, Hepburn took over. He scored six points in the third along with Steve Jackolski in a 22-point quarter to give the Panthers a 49-42 lead. Hepburn eliminated any hope of an Islip comeback in the fourth as he found the hot hand and scored 15 points with three three-pointers to seal the deal. Islip’s frustration was evident as Hepburn was thrown to the ground on a hard foul by Islip’s Andrew Oberg. He was awarded four free throws, of which he hit two.

“When a team double-teams, somebody’s going to be open, and luckily [Hepburn] was the guy and he’s our best shooter,” Sztabnik said. “You can’t say how important this was for us. It puts us back in the playoff hunt, gives us the hope that we need.

“My biggest concern going into this game was, would we have life? I think we just outplayed them with effort, intensity and strength. Even though they have a lot of size we counteracted that with mental strength.”

The Panthers now sit at 3-4 in League V play, and return to league action at Eastport-South Manor on Friday at 5:45 p.m. Eastport is tied with the Panthers at 3-4.

Girls Basketball

The Panthers went from an above .500 team to an under .500 team by falling to 3-4 in League V play with two losses this week.

On Jan. 18, Miller Place lost to first-place Harborfields (7-0), 82-57. The Panthers failed to outscore Harborfields in any quarter and allowed Kasey Stolba (27-10) and Bridgit Ryan (17-10) to each record double-doubles. Brea Greene and Marlaina Sherman each scored 21 for the Panthers, but it wasn't enough as they dropped to .500 with the loss.

On Thursday, the Panthers fell to 3-4 with a 58-39 loss to Islip (3-4) at home. Deanna Molinelli's 21 points couldn't stop the Panthers from suffering a 19-point defeat. Islip's Shannon Duer had 19 rebounds.

The Panthers still remain in the playoff hunt but will need to win most of their games from here on out. Their next league game will take place on Friday at home against Eastport-South Manor at 5:45 p.m.

Varsity Wrestling

The Panthers varsity wrestling team had a tough week, dropping two matches. On Wednesday they fell to Shoreham-Wading River in a close contest, 49-30. Two days later they found themselves up against a very tough John Glenn team and, hindered by four forfeits, lost 65-10.

Miller Place's top wrestler, John Steiger, won both his matches at 125 and remains the bright spot for the Panthers in what has otherwise been a tough season. Here's a list of MP wrestlers who came out victorious during the week: