The Mattituck/Greenport/Southold girls lacrosse team clawed all the way back from a five-goal deficit against Babylon Tuesday night, turning a Suffolk County Class D semifinal that looked nearly out of reach into a fourth-quarter fight.

Then Babylon’s DeLaney Busch closed the door.

The senior scored four times in the final frame for the home team as No. 2 Babylon pulled away for a 17-13 win over the third-seeded Tuckers to end their season.

“We came out a little slow, which was hard to dig ourselves out of a hole, but we did and the game kind of just got away from us,” Tuckers head coach Logan McGinn said. “I’m super proud of the girls. I thought we played well till the end, and I feel like that’s all I could really ask for.”  

Babylon built a 9-4 lead in the second quarter behind freshman Mia Jankow and senior Lilly Krollage, who scored two goals apiece among the Panthers’ first nine.

The Tuckers narrowed the deficit to 10-8 by halftime with goals from star Page Kellershon and fellow seniors Gianna Calise and Claire McKenzie, as well as freshman Ellie McKenna.

“I said this is bigger than lacrosse,” McGinn said of his halftime message. “What kind of people are we going to be? There are people out there that when you have a little adversity, they roll over and give up. But I said, ‘That’s not this team. That’s not the people we surround ourselves with. So, it’s gut-check time. What kind of person are you going to be from here on out?’ And they answered the call and played awesome.”

The Tuckers heeded their coach’s pep talk to carry their momentum into the third quarter. Kellershon and Calise scored 30 seconds apart to tie the game at 10. Calise finished with a hat trick, while Kellershon scored again later in the quarter and finished with four goals.

Kellershon, a Navy commit, ended her senior season with 59 goals and 46 assists for 105 points — the second most in Suffolk County.

“She’s a beast and she’ll be missed dearly,” McGinn said. “She’s probably the hardest worker I’ve ever seen in my life and I played college sports. She would drive out to Ronkonkoma and go to a training, then sit in the parking lot for five hours and go to the next training. She shoveled the field at Southold with two feet of snow. Every single accolade she’s received and is going to receive is totally deserved because she’s a workhorse and the nicest kid.”

Though the Tuckers fell a game short of a trip to the county finals, McGinn said the loss did not change what the senior class has meant to the program.

“Although it didn’t finish the way we wanted it to, it doesn’t take away from how proud I am of them,” McGinn said. “That’s a group that’s going to be super successful. Doctors, lawyers, whatever they want to set their mind to. I know they’re going to be able to do it, and I think that’s the real measurement of a win for me. I’m super excited for them and I’m excited to be a mentor, friend or whatever they need.”

The post Mattituck girls lacrosse rally falls short in Suffolk Class D semifinal loss to Babylon appeared first on The Suffolk Times.

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