14 Photos
Southampton's Gabriella Arnold is harangued by East Hampton defenders.
East Hampton's Chloe Swickard looks to shoot as the Bonackers hosted Southampton this past Friday night.
Southampton's Daelyn Palmore drives to the basket.
East Hampton's Chloe Swickard is hounded by Juliette Archer.
Southampton's Juliette Archer is trailed by East Hampton's Chloe Swickard.
East Hampton's Chloe Swickard works to shoot between a tough defense of Juliette Archer and Celia Ginsberg.
Southampton's *** is double-teamed by Ava Arcoleo and Claire McGovern.
East Hampton's Chloe Swickard is hounded by Southampton's Juliette Archer as she shoots.
East Hampton's Chloe Swickard is pressed hard by Southampton's Celia Ginsberg.
Southampton's Gabriella Arnold makes her way past East Hampton defenders.
East Hampton's Chloe Swickard tries to make her way by Mariners Juliette Archer and Daelyn Palmore.
East Hampton's Jocelyn Prieto fends off Southampton's Daelyn Palmore to get to the hoop.
Southampton's Juliette Archer is pressured by Bonacker Chloe Swickard as she drives to the basket.
Southampton's Gabriella Arnold charges past Ava Arcoleo and Skye Tanzmann.
There may be no team more hungry to make the postseason than the Southampton girls basketball team. For the past four years, something has always held the Mariners back from breaking through, most of which has been out of their hands.
After finishing a game short of qualifying for the Suffolk County Class B playoffs four years ago — with many of the team’s current seniors on that team — the Mariners bounced back to finish the very next season with a 10-6 league record, far exceeding the .500 record needed to qualify. But because it played one more game than the maximum 20 allowed, by state rule Southampton was deemed ineligible for the playoffs. Then last season, the COVID-19 pandemic came through, and while there was an abbreviated season, the Mariners didn’t really compete.
To say this year’s team is motivated to finally see postseason play would be an understatement.
“I think about it every time I play,” Southampton co-captain Maddie Taylor said of reaching the playoffs. “Coming up we have three of the toughest games on our schedule and those will basically dictate if we’re in the playoffs or not. I know how bad us seniors, all of us really, want to make it. Every year it’s always been something. Something just happened where we couldn’t get in, and I know other teams look at us and think we’re not that type of team that makes the playoffs, that sees us as the underdog. We want to show them who we are and go in there and beat them and I think we can do it easily. Me and [Gabby Arnold], we’re trying to get that across to our teammates, that we have the skill and the ability, we just need the mindset.”
After an 11-day layoff, mainly due to rescheduled games due to COVID, Southampton won its first three games last week out of the lengthy break, first defeating Smithtown Christian, 39-28, on January 25, then winning a home-and-home series over East Hampton — 56-33, at home on January 26, then 68-36 in East Hampton on Friday afternoon.
Although there is still work to do, the victories put the Mariners (5-3 League VII, 9-5 overall) in a good position to qualify for the postseason. They need to win two of their final five games to do so and will play some tough teams in Greenport, Center Moriches and Port Jefferson along the way, but the senior captains are confident they can accomplish a much anticipated goal.
“I think that we deserve to be in the playoffs,” Arnold said. “We have a solid team. Honestly, I want more than just making the playoffs, I want to go further than that. I am very motivated and determined, both offensively and defensively, because we deserve it. We deserve to go far. We all have the talent and I want it this year.”
COVID has certainly played a role in the team’s dynamic this season. Prior to the 11-day pause, Southampton had played a few games, in particular against league leader Greenport/Southold and Mattituck, with just six players. Playing a tenacious full-court press for an entire game with just six players proved to be a steep hill to climb, and after defeating Mattituck by 15 points on December 22, just before the holiday break, the shorthanded Mariners lost by 18 points at home to the same team on January 4. Then they lost by 12 at home to Greenport/Southold two days later and a six-point loss at Center Moriches before finally taking the much needed hiatus.
Both Arnold and Taylor said it was tough being off for as long as they were but there may have been a silver lining to it all.
“I think going through it we took a little bit of a step back,” Arnold explained. “As a player you never want to have that much time off, you want to play. However, I think it brought our team closer. We recently had a team dinner and we all talked and stressed to each other how important the end of the season is for us all and I think we all got closer because of that. It was difficult getting back in the swing of things, to regain our momentum at practice. I just feel like we did have that step back, but our team chemistry is really good going forward and I see us having a lot of success and doing well.”
Southampton’s game against Center Moriches this past Monday was postponed due to Southampton’s snow day. It was rescheduled to Saturday at 2 p.m. The Mariners also played at Greenport on Wednesday night and are expected to host Pierson/Bridgehampton on Thursday at 6:15 p.m.
