Hope followed gloom for the Port Washington rooting section in the Farmingdale gym this past Saturday. Fans had witnessed what had been a close girls’ basketball game blown open by the host Dalers, with Farmingdale surging to a 35-17 lead early in the fourth quarter of the Class AA tournament opening round contest on Feb. 13.
But then the Vikings—and their fans—were roused out of the doldrums. Port began hitting from the outside. A 15-3 run by the visitors got them to within 38-32 with 1:20 left. Guard Tyler Owens led the charge, closing the phase with two straight three-pointers and then a steal leading to a layup.
The comeback fell short. The Vikings ran out of time, and were forced to foul to stop the running clock and stand a chance. Farmingdale scored its last five points from the foul line to earn the 43-32 win.
“We gave them too many second chances,” said Port (10-10) Coach Dennis Trottier of Farmingdale (15-7), dominant on the offensive boards. “But it was as good an effort as you could have asked for.”
Owens paced 11th-seeded Port with 14 points while Phylicia Waskower added 10. The Dalers, seeded sixth, were led by Italee Brown-Smilke’s 16.
“I have a good feeling about this group,” Trottier said of his young team. “We’re going to have a good future.”
