On Tuesday afternoon, the girls’ basketball team improved to 6-2 on the season with a 44-39 non-league victory over NYSPHSAA Class A Bayport-Blue Point.

The Bears charged out to a 7-0 lead on a Niamh Scanlon layup, a Jocelyn McCrain 3-pointer, and an Ava McCormick layup, but the Phantoms responded with a 6-0 run to pull within 6-7. A heady cut by Scanlon led to a layup, but Bayport knotted the game at 9-9 with a trifecta on the ensuing possession. Quinn Davey answered with a 3-pointer of her own before layups from McCormick and Scanlon pushed the margin back to 16-9. The Phantoms responded with a 3-pointer and a layup, but McCrain ended the frame with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to give The Brook a 19-14 lead after one.

Scanlon opened the second quarter with an offensive rebound and layup to match their largest lead at 21-14. Both sides traded free throws before another McCrain 3-pointer pushed the lead to 27-19. A Bayport free throw closed the scoring for the half, with the Bears leading 27-20 at the break.

The Phantoms raised their defensive intensity in the third quarter, pressing out on the wings and getting hands in the passing lanes. It fueled a run that pulled the visitors back within 29-30. Scanlon stemmed the tide with a steal and layup, but Bayport tied the game with a 3-point play. Myla Lombardo’s putback gave the Bears a 34-32 lead they would not relinquish, but the Swanson faithful were still in for a taut final frame.

The fourth opened with a Scanlon jumper that kissed off the back of the rim and in for a 36-32 advantage. A Lombardo layup pushed the lead to six, but Bayport answered with a big 3-pointer. McCormick converted a layup that nudged the lead back to five, but consecutive layups from Bayport chipped them back within a point with one minute remaining. In need of a cushion, McCormick came up with a crucial offensive rebound and scored the layup to give The Brook a 42-39 lead with 20 seconds left. Following a Phantom timeout, the Bears got the stop they needed, and Scanlon scored a layup off of an in-bounds play in the waning seconds for the final margin.

Scanlon led all scorers with 17 points. McCrain added 9, McCormick 8, Davey 6, and Lombardo 4. The Bears are back in action on Friday afternoon in a non-league match-up vs. Port Jeff.

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