This one hurt.
It took South Shore more than 30 minutes to solemnly emerge from the Times Union Center’s locker room following a 67–51 loss to eventual champion Ossining in the state Federation Class AA girls’ basketball semifinals in Albany on March 18. A year ago, the Vikings squad lost a heartbreaking overtime game to Christ the King in its first trip upstate. South Shore was happy to be there and was playing in the Dick’s Nationals tournament after. This year, the team planned on doing more than just showing up, but the season came to screeching halt.
“We want a state championship,” Vikings coach Anwar Gladden said. “We want to say we are the No.-1 team in the state, and the girls’ knew that. We missed an opportunity to win the state.”
South Shore, which trailed by as many 15 points midway through the second quarter, pulled within seven points on a Tsahai Corbie (13 points) jumper with 5:03 to go in the game. It appeared it could be a one-possession game, but Jordan Washington’s potential three-point play was erased by an offensive foul call on the next possession. Ossining’s Jaida Strippoli hit a trey right after, and the Pride rolled to a win.
“I feel like the momentum changed,” Corbie said.
The Vikings (23–5) never found an answer to Ossining’s frontcourt duo — Seton Hall-bound senior Shadeen Samuels scored 26 points and freshman Aubrey Griffin, daughter of former NBA play Adrian Griffin, added 22.
South Shore forward Selena Philoxy (21 points) did her best to keep her team in the game, but only Corbie was in double figures with her.
“Today I thought [Philoxy] was tremendous,” Gladden said. “She dominated on the boards. She rebounded. She assisted.”
Ossining’s length and ability to clog the middle bothered the Vikings offensively for most of the half. The Pride (27–2) used an 11–2 run to grab a 32–17 lead with 4:27 to go before the break. Griffin and Samuels combined for 30 of the team’s 37 first-half points.
South Shore, whose point guard Destiny Philoxy was in foul trouble, had to play from well behind for the first time all season. It slowly crawled its way back thanks to an improved effort on the glass. The team scored the last five points of the second quarter — including a bucket by Scott with four-tenths of a second remaining — to go into half time down 37–28.
A half-court trap and some scrappy play allowed the Vikings to rally. The team turned the Pride over and forced the ball out of Griffin and Samuels’s hand.
South Shore scored six of the last eight points of the third, cutting the Ossining lead to 49–41, but it could not overcome 16 turnovers and Ossining getting the important hoops when it needed them.
“I thought they fought and competed for the game,” Gladden said. “I just thought we couldn’t get key stops when we needed to. We had some key turnovers.”
The loss hurt but didn’t discourage South Shore moving forward. Gladden expects his club, which is losing just two seniors, to be the dominant team in his league again next season. The returnees are determined finally get the program over hump at a Federation tournament.
“Next year,” Selena Philoxy said. “We are going to comeback and take states.”
