Samantha Schneider, Ivy Matthews lead Syosset girls past Freeport to Class AAA final

An often overlooked part of a championship team is having players to fit specific roles. Not everyone can be the leading scorer, top three-pointer shooter or record the most steals. Syosset senior guard Ivy Matthews’ role isn’t typically to finish among the team leaders in scoring or rebounding, but on Saturday, her role evolved.

Matthews had 20 points, 11 rebounds and four steals as No. 2 Syosset defeated No. 3 Freeport, 70-47, in the girls basketball Nassau Class AAA semifinals at Farmingdale State College on Saturday.

“Coach [Michael] Ferreria always says just be the best player at your role, so I just knew I had to play my role,” Matthews said. “I had to make layups, get open for my teammates and find my teammates.”

“All season long, that girl has worked her butt off on defense and it’s great to see that kid get rewarded for all her hard work all season long,” Ferreria said. “For her to come out [Saturday] and give us 20, I’m super impressed.”

Syosset (19-3) plays No. 4 Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK (17-5) at noon on Saturday at Farmingdale State College in the Nassau Class AAA final.

Samantha Schneider had 31 points for Syosset, including 13 points in a 24-10 third quarter for Syosset. Syosset led 26-16 at halftime and 50-26 entering the fourth quarter.

“Her teammates know once Sam gets that look in her eye, we try to make that extra pass and find her,” Ferreria said. “But it’s really the unselfishness of the rest of the team to recognize that and kind of play through her for a little bit.”

Schneider credited her teammates for the third-quarter success.

“It was really just my teammates finding me, they set great screens and I was able to get some quick points,” Schneider said. “But it wouldn’t have been possible without the screens and the passes from my teammates”

Madison Harris had 13 points and six rebounds for Freeport (17-5).

Syosset looks to win its second straight Nassau Class AAA championship on Saturday.

“As special as last year was for that group and for the program as a whole, I think this team wants to write its own history and make its own mark on the program,” Ferreria said. “And we’re one game away from doing that.”

Plainview-Old Bethpage defeats Massapequa

The Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK girls basketball team has never even appeared in a county championship game. That’s about to change and the Hawks left no doubt of that.

Fourth-seeded Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK defeated top-seeded Massapequa, 60-47, in a Nassau Class AAA semifinal at Farmingdale State College on Saturday night. Emma Heaney led the Hawks with 28 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks, including 18 points and nine rebounds in a first half where the Hawks outscored Massapequa 37-17.

The Hawks opened the third quarter on a 9-2 run over the first five minutes of the period to take a 46-19 advantage.

Nicole Kyriacou added 13 points in the win. Maeve Schiereck had nine points for Massapequa (15-7).