Wantagh girls basketball’s seniors and freshmen help spark fourth-quarter comeback in win over Cold Spring Harbor

After losing to Cold Spring Harbor in last season’s Nassau Class A championship game, Wantagh girls basketball got a measure of revenge.

Wantagh used a mix of senior and freshman talent in a big fourth quarter comeback to defeat Cold Spring Harbor at home, 61-55, Thursday night in a non-league matchup.

“We just wanted payback,” senior Kayla Mannix said. “It felt like we we’re in the playoff game, and we knew we had to play like it was.”

Wantagh (13-1) trailed by four heading into the fourth quarter, but freshman Makayla McNeil (nine points) came off the bench to drain her first of three three-pointers to lower the deficit.

“I just wanted to make my impact known more defensively,” McNeil said. “The threes were definitely important, though. It was the support from the team that really helped.”

Freshman Isabelle Ferraro (14) added her own three and Mannix scored eight of her 18 points as the squad built a steady five-point lead in the final minutes.

“We talked about how the second half is the most important part of the game,” McNeil said. “Losing to them last year also pushed us harder. We knew how they played, and we just needed time to adjust in order to stop them.”

Wantagh earned its first lead in the third quarter, when senior Riley Forthofer rebounded her own shot for a layup to give the squad a 31-30 lead with 3:15 left. But Cold Spring Harbor (10-2) quickly regained a four-point lead to close the frame thanks to four consecutive points from Maggie Spehr.

“We know what type of team we are, and we know what we can do,” Mannix said. “We don’t get discouraged easily because we have each other to pick ourselves up.”

Spehr scored three consecutive layups as Cold Spring Harbor opened the first quarter with a 6-0 run. The Seahawks also scored the first seven points of the second quarter, including a three from Ryan Reynolds (12).

“I’m just extremely proud of their resiliency today,” an emotional coach Stan Bujacich said. “They’ve been battling colds and the flu, and they all came together — from freshmen to seniors — to fight today.”

Wantagh remains undefeated at 8-0 in non-league games this season and hopes to avenge an earlier season loss to Nassau A-I foe Lynbrook.

“This proves to us that we can get back to where we finished last year,” Mannix said. “We know what we have to do.”