Babylon tried it all to stop the Mattituck onslaught Saturday afternoon at Mattituck High School in the first round of the Suffolk County Class B playoffs but it just wasn’t enough as the Tuckers breezed through their competition, 55-36.
To stop Liz Dwyer and Katie Hoeg, Babylon had a defender glued to each of them from one end of the court to the other. There was no switching, no zones, their job was to face guard and give zero space to both players.
“I knew that defense was coming,” Mattituck head coach Steve Van Dood said. “Babylon’s coach Chris Ryan is the king of junk defenses. I’ve been watching him for years.”
It didn’t do much to stop Liz Dwyer who still managed to score 17 points despite having little to no room to maneuver.
“Yeah it’s a little annoying,” Dwyer said. “But I’ll just give them a quick move and I’ll be gone.”
Most importantly, the overemphasis on Dwyer and Hoeg opened the game up for other players to shoot from the outside.
Corinne Reda benefitted the most, scoring 11 points and Briana Perino hit a few outside jumpers, adding eight points to the mix. Reda also contributed five steals.
“A lot of other girls stepped up today,” Van Dood said. “That’s what it’s all about when our top two can’t do it, someone else will.”
Katie Hoeg wasn’t as active in the scoing column but she was able to come away with 10 rebounds and four steals.
“It’s the little things that make this team so great,” Van Dood said.
With the victory, No. 1 Mattituck will advance to the Suffolk County B bracket championship against No. 3 Center Moriches who beat McGann-Mercy earlier in the day, 46-35.
“I just hope that game will be officiated the right way,” Van Dood said of the upcoming matchup. “They play physical. And when it’s a loosely called game it goes to their favor.”
Dwyer got a taste of Center Moriches last time they played.
“I just hope I don’t get hurt,” Dwyer said. “Last time I was shooting a three, made it and was tackled. I rolled my ankle because of it.”
Jokingly Dwyer added: “And I didn’t even get the and one.”
The game will be played at Riverhead High School on Tuesday. It’ll start at 5:30 and there will be a $6 admission.
SoutholdLOCAL photos by George Faella
