Northport swept both games of the fifth annual Coaches vs. Cancer Basketball Classic at Northport High School Friday in a successful bid for League II supremacy against the Whitman Wildcats.
Dorrien Van Dyke led Northport to victory in the girls game with a career high of three three-point shots, alongside 13 rebounds and four assists. Team mate Allie Pavinelli also scored three three-point shots and seven assists for a final score of 61-50 against the Whitman Wildcats.
"As a team we're better than we were last year," said Coach Rich Castellano. "Pavinelli has matured and so has Lizzy Atkinson. She told me she could be the point guard and I was reminded of that tonight."
Castellano said he consider's Northport's (6-1) win against Whitman (7-1) a good gauge for where his team stands.
"For us it's a big win because now we're controlling our destiny," he said.
"We have to play them again and we still have to play Lindenhurst, but I think if they were the pre-season odds-on favorite then we upset the pre-season odds-on favorite."
The boys game was an equally stellar matchup between two of Suffolk's top teams. After a long haul, Northport emerged with their undefeated record still standing in a 52-39 win against Whitman (5-2, 2-1).
Northport's Mike Milligan and Luke Petrasek scored 13 points each, with Petraesk blocking eight shots from the Wildcats. In the third quarter there was a crowd-pleasing alleyoop from Austin Marchese to Luke Petrasek.
"It's exciting for these kids to be 9-0 and 3-0 in the league," said Northport Coach Andrew D'Eloia. "They've worked extremely hard and we're really proud of them. They work hard every day in practice and have a 93 average in the classsroom; they do all the right things on and off the court and we're happy to be here."
This year's Coaches vs. Cancer event raised over $3,000 for the American Cancer Society.
