Lady Kingsmen Basketball Falls To Harborfields

Kings Park Lady Kingsmen found themselves swept out of the playoffs by Harborfield Tornadoes on Saturday afternoon. 

Kings Park girls varsity basketball lost to Harborfields 51-44 Saturday afternoon in one of the Suffolk County Section XI Class A semifinals at Harborfields High School.

The Lady Kingsmen (15-5 overall) has dealt with many injuries to their players this season, including losing star player Kristen Picciano to a knee injury in the opening game of the regular season schedule, received balanced scoring from their starters and were able to stay shot-for-shot with Harborfields in the first quarter. The game was tied 13-13 after the first period, with key baskets coming from Marion Kawecki, Taylor Bailey and Meghan Eckel.  

The Lady Tornadoes then rallied to outscored Kings Park,  22-12, during a 16-minute span that began at the start of the second quarter. It gave Harborfields a definitive lead, one that the Kingsmen woud not recover from. 

Harborfields led 34-25 after 24 minutes of play and was able to withstand a late fourth quarter surge to advance to the Suffolk A championship game.

Kawecki led Kings Park's offense with 10 points, followed by Bailey with 9 points, Eckel who scored 8 points, Shannon Ahern and Daniele Buoncore both scored 6 points and Duffel at 5 points. Kings Park’s offense was at its best in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Tornadoes 19-16.

Eckel, a senior point guard, was one of Kings Park’s players who stepped to the forefront this season. She ranked second on the team in scoring, averaging 14 points per game while also leading the Kingsmen in both assists (7) and steals (7) per contest. Eckel was also second on the team in rebounding, an accomplishment for a player that doesn’t play a forward position.

Both Eckel and Kawecki will graduate from in 2011, but the vast majority of the team will return to the court next year.