Cover credit – Instagram @centereachgirlsbasketball
The Cougars are on the hunt at Centereach High School this season as the girls’ varsity basketball team is in the midst of a playoff run. The team has battled hard on the court this season to get themselves to a semifinal matchup with Smithtown West.
The Centereach girls’ varsity basketball team is a member of the New York State Public High School Basketball Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) and competes in League IV. This season, the Cougars held a 17-3 record, best for third place in League IV. The only three losses came to Smithtown West and West Babylon (twice).
The squad is coached by fifth-year head coach Steve Greco, coaching alongside him is assistant coach Colin Hintze. Uniquely, the duo are actually special education teachers at the middle school and teach across the hall from one another. Greco took over at the beginning of the pandemic, although it was a strange season to manage he took it in stride and turned the Cougars into a powerhouse over the last few years.
The 2024-25 season is the fourth consecutive season in which the Cougars have made the playoffs. Last season they were knocked out in the first round so redemption is surely on their minds. The Cougars had a semifinal matchup with the Bulls of Smithtown West on Tuesday night. Win or go home was the name of the game for both teams.
The Messenger spoke with Coach Greco prior to Tuesday night’s semi-final matchup. The final score of the game was 50-40 in favor of Smithtown West who will now head to the championship game on Sunday.
“I’m excited for the opportunity to have that third game with them [Smithtown West] on a neutral site, since we split at each other’s home. They’re a good team, I would say they move the ball well, they play well together. You kind of have to worry about all the kids on the court in that aspect. They move it to each other, they’re unselfish,” said Greco.
Junior Point Guard Hayley Torres notched her 1,000th point earlier this season for the Cougars. Torres plays an integral role for this team as Greco told The Messenger.
“We have two really good guards; we have Delaney Walters and Hayley Torres. Hayley is a junior now but came up as a seventh grader also in that weird COVID-19 year and has really been the catalyst for the change. Hayley came to an open gym and the way she just moved and handled the ball, I thought, “That kid is going to be a stud.’ She’s a true point guard, she does everything well, and she sees the floor well,” said Greco.
Perhaps a story in the making for the young Cougar squad is eighth grader Delaney Walters. The point guard was brought up to varsity as a seventh grader and has remained a member of the team since. This year she has 63 three-point shots and over 600 points in her young career. To think she still has four whole years of high school left to play is simply mind-boggling.
“Delaney, last year we brought her up and we knew this kid had everything that we needed to be successful. She is an unbelievable shooter, last year she came up and had 47 threes as a seventh grader, but didn’t really get to the basket. This year she’s growing, she’s only in eighth grade, but she got a little bit stronger and bigger so she’s able to get to the basket a little more,” said Greco.
Greco talked about the sense of cohesiveness within his team and how they mesh well together on and off the court.
“One of the biggest people for us, someone who doesn’t get a lot of recognition is Alexa Carmody. She’s our third guard; she does all those little scrappy things. She’s such a nice kid, very welcoming, and I think that kind of helps,” said Greco.
High school sports are only four years of an adolescent teen’s life, but for the Cougars, it’s about being in the moment and embracing it all.
“It’s not like they don’t take it seriously, they, at times, know how to have a good time and relax so the moment doesn’t get too big. Coach and I try to develop that environment where you don’t feel so much pressure on every play. We’ve turned the program around in a short period of time, so they do start to feel like they do belong,” said Greco.
