Kate Sweet's Last-Second Three-Pointer Seals Westhampton Win Over Hauppauge

Kate Sweet’s shots weren’t falling, but that wasn’t going to deter the Westhampton Beach sophomore with 10.2 seconds left in a tie game against Hauppauge Monday night.

The guard, waiting on the wing, found the ball in her hands and immediately let it fly. To her surprise, the crowd erupted as she swished her shot for a 31-28 Hurricanes victory.

“You could see it in my face,” Sweet said. “I was so scared that it wasn’t going to go in.”

But she kept attacking the basket all night long with the support of head coach Katie Peters and assistant coach Bill Hempfling.

“I was frustrated that my shot wasn’t falling, but thankfully, they’ll never get mad at you for taking a shot, even if it isn’t hitting. No matter what, they encourage you,” Sweet said. “I was pulled aside, and they told me to take a deep breath and keep at it. After that, I made the shot. I was so relieved.”

Westhampton Beach (16-1 overall, 11-0 in League V) led, 16-14, at halftime, and took a 24-22 advantage into the fourth quarter, but Crisalyn Abruscato (11 points) hit a three-pointer and Alexa Fortune (11 points) tacked on a free-throw as part of a six-point scoring spurt to give Hauppauge (10-5, 9-3) a one-possession lead with minutes to go. The Hurricanes weren’t going to let it last long, though, and with 1:59 left, junior point guard Sandra Clarke dished the ball to Sweet, who turned from the top of the key to find her older sister, Shannon. The senior forward immediately did the same, pivoting to face the basket and scoring to knot the game at 28-28.

“Anything we can do together is just so cool,” Shannon Sweet said. “Being sisters off the court really translates into those strong connections on the court.”

The older Sweet followed up the make with a forced turnover, but Hauppauge intercepted a pass on the other side. The winning shot came after a Chloe Blowes jump ball earned possession for Westhampton Beach. Shannon Sweet watched from the bench in awe of what her sibling was able to do.

“Her shots weren’t hitting, but she still had the courage to let that one go,” the senior said. “It shows the resiliency you need to play this game.”

Head coach Katie Peters said she never doubted the sophomore.

“They were putting pressure on Sandra, so we needed some other girls to step up on the offensive end, and we knew Kate could do that,” Peters said. “She was having a hard time getting the ball to fall, but something we always say is to focus on the makes. I’m really proud that she had the confidence to let that one fly.”

The win was both a learning experience and a mark of improvement for the Hurricanes, who have won most games by wide margins this season, and whose only league loss last season was 41-36 defeat at the hands of Hauppauge.

“Coming away with this shows we put in the work we needed to,” Kate Sweet said. “They’re a great team. They’re athletic. They’re tough. They’re ready to compete and they put up a fight. A game like this pushes you to be your best and points out flaws you can correct moving forward.”

The sophomore finished with five points, dished out five assists and also had five steals in the win, while Shannon Sweet collected seven points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Clarke chipped in five points and seven assists, junior center Jasmine Taylor added six points and freshman forward Chloe Blowes had four points and 10 rebounds.

“Our girls pride themselves on their defense. It’s part of our identity,” Peters said. “We never give up many points, we’re just usually able to put up more than what we did today. But if they continue to work together and work as hard as they do, day in and day out, we can meet our goal of a strong, solid offseason push.”

Westhampton Beach travels to Eastport-South Manor on Thursday, January 30, for a 5:45 p.m. matchup, before hosting Wyandanch in a regular season finale on Tuesday, February 4, at 5 p.m.