Sports

Wantagh Girls Basketball Advances in Class A Playoffs

Lady Warriors edge nearby rival Division, 40-36, in first round matchup.

Demi Valenti was forced to sit out last season's Wantagh girls basketball first round playoff game that the Lady Warriors lost in heartbreaking fashion by one point when she suffered an illness. This made the standout junior guard even more motivated to hit the floor Thursday evening in the opening round of the Class A playoffs against Division, and she did not disappoint. 

Valenti led all Wantagh scorers with 14 points including the game-clinching free throws with 21 seconds left that lifted the Warriors to a come-from-behind 40-36 win against the Blue Dragons (10-7). The win before a large home crowd at Wantagh High School, that also saw many fans from the rival Levittown school in attendance, advances the sixth-seeded Warriors (13-5) to the quarterfinal round Tuesday at third-seeded Lynbrook. 

“I was pumped to get out there,” said Valenti, who was a perfect 4-4 from the free throw line to go along with five field goals.

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“She’s a gamer,” said 19th-year Wantagh girls basketball head coach Stanley Bujacich of Valenti. “She’s tough, tough, tough.”

Valenti along with 6-3 freshman center Alex Parlato found themselves forced to the bench for large stretches of the game due to foul trouble but younger Warrior players stepped up to the plate when it mattered most. Freshman Christina Peden hit a driving layup with 2:30 left that broke a 34-34 tie and capped a 14-5 run after Wantagh trailed 29-22 midway through the third quarter.

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Wantagh’s defense also clamped down in the second half only allowing two points, both on the free throw line. Parlato was a force on both ends of the floor with 13 points, seven blocks and a career-high 19 rebounds.

Division was offensively by Susan Ballantyne with 11 points and nine from Kristin Aquila. The Blue Dragons lost several key players from last year’s team that reached the Nassau County Class A title game but fought hard throughout the season to reach the playoffs.

“We know coming into the game it was going to be tough because they are going to fight like cats and dogs that team and it’s going to be physical,” said Bujacich of Division.

Wantagh’s quarterfinal game at Lynbrook Tuesday tips off at 1 p.m. The Lady Owls (14-4) won at Wantagh, 42-28, on Dec. 8 in the team’s only meeting in the regular season.  


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