With the end of winter sports, the Wantagh Girls Basketball team closed out their month-long season. Coached by Stan Bujacich and Erin Colton, along with captains Reilly Brady, Lauren Goldberg, Madison Taylor, and Shannon Smith, the team adapted to the several changes in the season as a result of the pandemic.

Captain Shannon Smith says, “Going into this school year, I didn’t expect to have a season at all. The day I got the news we were going to have a season I was very thankful. It wasn’t the season I thought my senior year would be, but the team made it unforgettable and did everything possible to make it an amazing experience.” 

The first of the many drastic changes regarding the basketball season was the length. The season held eight games with no playoffs. The Lady Warriors ended with a closing record of 6-2, losing to only Locust Valley and Carle Place. In addition to this, the team had a couple of close games that resulted in huge wins. A 47-44 win against North Shore, with top performer Madison Taylor tallying 15 points, was an exciting experience for all those playing and watching. The team also came out with a win against Island Trees, 52-47, where Lauren Goldberg led all scorers with 21 points and 12 rebounds.

When reflecting on this abnormal season, senior captain Reilly Brady states, “With all the craziness going on with COVID, it was so incredible to be able to squeeze in a basketball season. I’m so proud of all the girls for giving it their all in every game and practice and for making my senior season so memorable and amazing. It wasn’t the season I would have asked for but we really made the best of it and I couldn’t be more thankful.”  Brady, a three-sport athlete, will go on to compete in both her soccer and lacrosse season, where she will showcase her skills in a different area other than the court. She will be attending Molloy College next year to forward both her academic and athletic career.

In addition to the length of the season, the list of rules and regulations also required all players to wear a mask while on the court and on the bench. The difficulty to breathe in the already hot gym, now with an additional barrier, took a toll on the playing ability of many players. Senior captain Lauren Goldberg states, “Wearing a mask while playing basketball was definitely a challenge, but after a while, you got used to it. Anything that allowed our team to play and keep us safe was fine with me!”

It is safe to say that all those participating in the winter season are thankful they got to play their chosen sport. It is in great hope for Wantagh athletics to be granted a complete return to normalcy as soon as possible. With nearly half the team being sophomores, in addition to freshman Casey Kissinger and eighth-graders Sadie Reich and Juliana Cerasi, the young team looks forward to their bright future ahead. As star point guard Madison Taylor returns for her last and final season before attending Northwestern, she leaves us with, “Although this past season was definitely different, I’m glad we got to squeeze it in. I’m happy it happened and I got to play with the seniors one last time. We’ll definitely be playing for them next year in the playoffs!”