High School Girls Basketball

BY ADAM RONIS

Playoff record: 54-8

Thursday at St. Joseph's College
Class B Southeast Regional Final, 8 p.m.
Hampton Bays (21-4) vs. Briarcliff (Section I) (23-1): In case you didn't know, Kelly Cavallo is pretty good. The 6-2 St. Joseph's-bound center had another big game against Malverne in the Southeast Regional semifinals Tuesday with 30 points, 12 rebounds and seven blocks. If she gets the ball inside, Hampton Bays is tough to stop. Genna Kovar is quick and athletic and can handle pressure. Sami Krantz and Rachel Tufano can both score and rebound. It's tough to go to the basket against Hampton Bays because Cavallo is a deterrent in the paint. Hampton Bays has experience with three senior starters and Cavallo went to the state semifinals as a freshman with Westhampton. Briarcliff beat Burke Catholic (Section IX) to advance to this game and led 27-4 at one point. Maggie Blair helped thwart Marist-bound Emily Stallings and can guard bigger players, so she could be on Cavallo. Taylor Pescettii scored 16 points and is a good three-point shooter. Shelby Coon, a 6-1 senior, added 10 points and 13 rebounds. Briarcliff won its first sectional title in 11 years and has won 15 straight. Briarcliff has five players 5-11 or taller and has depth. PICK: Hampton Bays

Class C Southeast Regional Final, 5:30 p.m.
East Rockaway (19-2) vs. Haldane (Section I) (19-4): East Rockaway has relied on defense to get to this point and it was the defense that got it to this game with a 31-25 win over Stony Brook in the Regional semifinals Tuesday. Kelli Hughes took care of the offense with 23 points. East Rockaway has won five Long Island titles in the last six years. Other players to watch are Michelle Corso, Emily D'Archangelis, Monica Mielinis and Alli Pacheco. Senior Brittany Shields, who will play at Pace, had 23 points and 10 rebounds for Haldane in a 66-52 semifinal win over S.S. Seward (Section IX) Tuesday. Shields is a skilled player and is the all-time leading scorer in program history. The six-year player has more than 1,800 points and more than 1,000 rebounds. Haldane likes to press and forces a lot of turnovers. Haldane has made 15 trips in 16 seasons to the state playoffs. East Rockaway beat Haldane in this game two years ago. PICK: East Rockaway

Class D Southeast Regional Final, Thursday 4:30 p.m. at Center Moriches
Shelter Island (6-12) vs. Coleman Catholic (Section IX) (20-1): Shelter Island hasn't played since Feb. 22, so that is something to keep an eye early in the game. Junior Katie McGayhey and senior Tina Rando are key players on offense. Shelter Island is one of two Class D schools on Long Island, so it played mostly Class C schools. Taylor Leonard leads Coleman Catholic with 15 points per game. PICK: Coleman Catholic