North Shore Sun

As Harborfields had done all game, two defenders sprinted out toward mid-court to harass Mount Sinai senior guard Emily Bongiorno with six seconds left in Tuesday's Class A semifinal.

With the Mustangs trailing 45-42, Bongiorno needed a 3-pointer to give Mount Sinai a chance to tie. The Tornadoes boxed Bongiorno into a corner right next to the Mustangs' bench and their coach, Kevin Walsh.

Walsh could only watch as Bongiorno tried to force a pass into the paint rather than taking the shot. But Harborfields' Sara Tane stepped in front of Mount Sinai's Diana Lopez, who finished the game with 14 points, to intercept it.

Lopez immediately fouled Tane, who missed both shots when one would have iced the game. As the second shot bounced off the rim, everyone in the Mount Sinai High School gym held their breath and waited.

The ball went to Bongiorno, who launched a desperation 3-pointer from half court with 0:04 left. The shot rebounded straight back to her on the left wing and, as the buzzer sounded, Bongiorno heaved one last shot. It hit the front of the rim and the most successful girls basketball season in Mount Sinai history was done with a 45-42 loss to Harborfields that snapped the Mustangs' 10-game winning streak.

"Obviously we wanted to be leaving it a little bit better," Walsh said. "That could have happened but we ran out of time."

The Mustangs (15-5) had the opportunities to get ahead in the fourth quarter. With 5:56 left, the score was tied at 39. Their defense held the Tornadoes (16-4) to six points the rest of the way. Unfortunately, the Mustangs managed just three themselves while turning the ball over five times. Their only basket was a layup from Bongiorno.

"We pride ourselves on our defense," Harborfields coach Russ Tietjen said. "We tried to take them out of everything they wanted to do."

The Tornadoes did that almost from beginning to end. The Mustangs looked as though they might grab a significant early lead when they raced out to a 7-2 lead in the opening three minutes. They forced Harborfields into a hurried 3-point attempt as the shot clock wound down and turned that into a fast break layup for senior forward Sarah Shine. Bongiorno nailed a 3-pointer and guard Kelsey Lubin found Shine for another layup.

But it would be 4:52 until Mount Sinai scored again. To slow the Mustangs down, the Tornadoes double-teamed whoever was bringing the ball upcourt. When the Mustangs had that accomplished, the Tornadoes would try to chase the ball-handler backward.

Even when Mount Sinai got the ball inside to Shine, who scored 10, her shots were not falling as Harborfields tried to push her away from the basket. Bongiorno had little luck from the perimeter. Tietjen said his team aimed to keep the ball away from Shine and Bongiorno, who scored a game-high 16, as much as possible.

"Their defense altered the game," Walsh said.

Still, for all its offensive struggles, Mount Sinai stayed in the game, helped by Bongirono's buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of the first quarter to put Mount Sinai ahead 12-9. Four minutes later, Harborfields led 22-16, but the Mustangs produced their own 6-0 run. However, it was not enough to get ahead at halftime, at which point Harborfields led 26-24. The Tornadoes were 8-0 during the regular season when leading at halftime.

"I guess we just needed a couple more points," Walsh said. "We certainly had opportunities to do that."

The Tornadoes had just as many chances offensively to put the game out of reach, but could not break through Mount Sinai 's zone defense. The Mustangs dared them to hit their shots from outside, but other than three 3-pointers from Harborfields' Bridgit Ryan, who scored a team-high 11 points, very few perimeter shots fell.

Unfortunately for the Mustangs, though, they were not always the ones getting the rebound, especially when it mattered most. With the game tied at 39, the Tornadoes missed two shots, the second of which was an air ball. But it was the Tornadoes' Alexia O'Connor who snared it for the putback that sent the Tornadoes ahead for good and on to face Kings Park in the Class A championship Friday.

For the Mustangs, memories of their best season ever will have to console them.

"We brought some playoff excitement to the gym," Walsh said as he exited the gym for the last time this season.

jwilliams@northshoresun.com