Sandra Clarke Steals the Show in Westhampton Beach Girls Basketball's Win Over Hampton Bays

Ithaca-transfer Sandra Clarke is already making a name for herself on her new basketball team.

The Westhampton Beach freshman only scored once, but it was her game-high six steals and eight rebounds that shocked her opponents and secured control for multiple other teammates to score in the Hurricanes girls basketball team’s 26-17 win over Hampton Bays on Friday.

“I realized they weren’t strong defenders, and it clicked for me to get up on them,” said Clarke, who already has experience at the varsity level. “Once we switched to [man-to-man defense], we had them on lockdown. I felt good. I was happy with my performance.”

So was her coach, Katie Peters, who said her new addition can’t be overlooked.

“Sandra is a fierce competitor. She’s an excellent basketball player,” she said. “She really brings a lot of energy, and she’s a playmaker, whether it’s her scoring or her setting up someone else to score. She really is a phenomenal addition to the team.”

Clarke came out of the gate with two steals and a rebound, which led to classmate Kate Sweet’s jumper that put Westhampton Beach (13-2 overall, 8-0 in League IV) on the board first with 3:51 left in the opening quarter. Sophomore Lily Graves tacked on her own bucket with 7.2 seconds left off another Clarke rebound, but the Hurricanes only held onto a 4-3 lead after eight minutes.

“We were lacking momentum energy-wise,” Clarke said. “We thought it was going to be an easy game due to their record, and we played down. We didn’t expect them to come out like they did.”

Hampton Bays senior Sophia Corredor (seven points) sank a three-point shot for the Baymen’s lone points of the first. The shot came after sophomore Asha Pensa-Johnson (four points) blocked a shot, grabbed the ball and passed in transition to Corredor, who capitalized with 2:13 left.

“The defense definitely kept us moving and on our feet,” the senior said. “We practiced on not fouling much and staying in a ‘defensive stance’ without reaching, and I personally felt a big difference in how much we were moving. There were points where it created steals, leading to a fast break.”

Clarke collected three more rebounds to open the second. Junior Jane Atkinson came off the bench to swish a three-pointer of her own and Sweet, who tallied a game-high eight points, found the hoop on a jumper just inside the circle to keep Westhampton Beach out front, 9-3. Clarke grabbed another steal with under two minutes to go in the first half to help the Hurricanes hold on to an 11-7 advantage.

“We couldn’t find our rhythm in the beginning, but we talked about it at halftime and we flipped a switch,” Clarke said, adding that it didn’t help that her team’s shots weren’t falling consistently across the first 16 minutes. “If they did, it would have been a very different game,” she said.

Still, Westhampton Beach led a balanced attack, with four different girls adding to the first-half total, and seven getting on the stat sheet.

“This group really plays well together as a team and it shows more at some times than others,” Peters said. “I don’t think we came out as fiery as we usually do — it took us a long time to get settled into the game, and I don’t think it was our best performance — but every day is a day to learn and a day to grow.”

She said one sticking point, besides the Baymen’s improved defense, was how Hampton Bays (3-14, 0-10) slowed down the tempo.

“They kept the pace of the game at the speed they wanted it,” the coach said. “Our team had a hard time adjusting to that. It was a well-fought game.”

Clarke opened the third with her own long shot just inside the circle, and followed with two steals that bookended a jump ball for Hurricanes possession. Her second grab led to a fast break where junior Sarah Gormley (six points), who came alive in the second half and forced a few turnovers of her own, found the basket for a 15-7 lead.

“My teammates welcomed me with open arms,” Clarke said. “I’m also a people person, and I’m used to this level, so it’s been an easy transition.”

Senior Kylah Avery (four points) also came through for the Hurricanes, ahead, 19-13, at the end of the third. She leapt for the ball several times as it sailed out of bounds. Her tip-in to Clarke to open the final stanza was dished to an unmarked Sweet on the left side of the basket for an easy bucket. Clarke and Gormley also connected at the 2:11 mark for a 10-point advantage, with Westhampton Beach up, 23-13. Gormley had tipped a Hampton Bays pass, grabbed the ball and dished it to Clarke, who passed back to her teammate as she found an open lane for a layup.

The freshman said while her team may have taken its opponent lightly this time, the Hurricanes had a very different mindset heading into a matchup against undefeated Shoreham-Wading River (15-0, 8-0) on Tuesday, results of which were not available by press time.

“We’re prepared mentally for that,” Clarke said. “We know they’re good. We’re going to play our game — the focus is on ball movement and playing at our speed, not theirs. We’re both undefeated, so we’ll see how it goes.”

Her head coach reiterated her players know it’s one of the biggest tests of the season.

“It will be a battle,” Peters said. “We’re going to give our best effort to bring it to them.”