Sophia Corredor Leads Hampton Bays Girls Basketball Team to Two Straight Wins

Sophia Corredor can do it all.

The Hampton Bays senior guard can call a play, create a play, steal and score and shoot from anywhere on the court. And her skills were on full display during wins over East Hampton and Wyandanch this week. Corredor finished with a game-high 14 points in both contests, and recorded that total on four field goals and two three-pointers while grabbing eight steals, four assists and four rebounds in a 56-32 win over the Bonackers last Thursday.

“Sophia set the tone for us, especially on defense — putting pressure on the ball and getting some good steals up front — and settling the court for us,” head coach Darryl Johnson said after that win. “She did a great job.”

She scored off junior guard Tania Quiros’s steal with 2:17 left in the first quarter and hit a three-pointer less than 30 seconds later to put Hampton Bays out front, 13-8.

“I felt this was a good game for me and helped me grow as a player by practicing new skills and learning new things during the game,” Corredor said. “When you’re really focused on the team you’re playing, you start recognizing their plays and their next moves on offense. That helped me and my team know what was coming next, which prepared us for either a fast break or a steal.”

Teammate Jordyn Heaney was also able to shine. The junior guard and shooting forward who added 10 points, four rebounds and an assist in the nonleague win December 8, hit two threes in the first half, the first of which put the Baymen up, 16-8. with just over 30 seconds left in the first quarter. She also scored despite being fouled to extend the advantage to 10 points, 24-14, with 4:20 to go in the second.

“We have a good inside game, but a lot of teams have tended to close us up because we couldn’t shoot as well,” Heaney said. “But tonight, we did a great job shooting outside. I think that will help us in the long run.”

East Hampton made it a closer game going into the break, though, after going on a 10-3 tear to finish the second. The Bonackers had help from leading scorers Chloe Swickard, a senior guard who finished with a team-high 12 points, and Kaili Moore, a freshman forward who added 10 points. Heaney hit her second three-pointer of the game to break up the spurt, but Swickard scored five points on a layup, a field goal and a free-throw, and Moore made two buckets to make it a 27-24 game before time expired.

“It came down to focusing on ourselves and not getting in our heads,” Corredor said.

The senior’s balanced game, being a key contributor in the first and second half, helped the team push forward.

She swished a three-pointer and grabbed a jump ball that led to sophomore forward Asha Pensa-Johnson’s field goal in the opening minutes of the third, and Pensa-Johnson hit a layup before Corredor’s jumper, steal-and-score and fast-break bucket. Pensa-Johnson also took the ball all the way off Corredor’s steal of an East Hampton inbounds pass to cap that 10-point scoring streak that put Hampton Bays ahead, 42-27.

“We hustled up and down the court, and played great defense, which helped us a lot,” said Pensa-Johnson, who also added 14 points and secured 16 rebounds for Hampton Bays. “This team is super motivated and works extremely hard to improve. Our hard work is starting to pay off.”

She said her senior captain has been the catalyst.

“Sophia always shows up and contributes to the team in all aspects of the game. She gives 100 percent all the time and encourages us to do the same,” Pensa-Johnson said. “So, even though we were tired, we knew we were not going to let our team lose because of a lack of effort. We were going to push each other to play harder and win.”

Corredor, Pensa-Johnson and Quiros (six points, six rebounds and six assists) — among other Baymen — having just played on the volleyball team together has also helped the girls in more ways than one. The teammates made it to the Suffolk County Class B volleyball championship game this fall, so they’re accustomed to the competition, the pressure and the effort required, and have a connection other teams may lack.

“We are so much closer now, and we play better together because we communicate so well,” Pensa-Johnson said.

Corredor said since the win over East Hampton, which she called one of her team’s “best games so far,” the Baymen have been able to incorporate a lot of new techniques worked on during practice.

“Our heads are always moving, and we get to pass the ball extremely quick to pass to our open players,” she said. “We do a good job of running the correct plays and passing the ball at a quick speed that would force the defense to move and open space up for us.”

That was also evident during Friday’s win over Wyandanch, where Hampton Bays bounced out to a 22-6 lead after one quarter of action.

“Since we played East Hampton the day before, we were still in that ‘game mode,’” Corredor said following the 45-21 victory on December 9. “The girls were all really excited to get to play two days in a row, and that’s what made us play fast and get a great head start.”

Corredor added four rebounds and three assists to her team-high 14 points Friday, while Pensa-Johnson scored 11 points and had 24 rebounds and Quiros added 10 points and five assists, which helped the Baymen improve to 3-3 in nonleague play. Hampton Bays opened league play with a road game at Shoreham-Wading River Tuesday, but results were not available by press time. The Baymen travel to Miller Place on Monday, December 19, for a 5:15 p.m. matchup.

“They’ve been playing with a lot of energy,” Johnson said. “They’ve been taking more shots, but also quality shots, and we’ve been getting a lot of people in the game, which is great, and our bench has been helpful — the more we get the bench up to speed and get those players some exposure, the better we’ll be for it down the road. And having wins in a couple of home games is a confidence-builder for us. We’re very excited about these girls and we’re very excited for the future.”