They’re calling her clutch now. Danielle Cosgrove hit the shot heard around Sachem on Tuesday night to lead Sachem East to a playoff victory.
With 3.1 seconds left on the clock, Cosgrove, an eighth grader, took a jump shot that gave the Arrows a 60-58 lead and eventual win over Copiague in the Suffolk County Class AA quarterfinals.
No. 3 Sachem East (14-6) advances to the Suffolk semifinals on Friday against No. 2 Huntington at Smithtown East High at 3 p.m.
“I was not expecting to get the ball, but I did,” Cosgrove told Newsday. “I was amazed that it went in because I’m a post player. I don’t shoot very much during games.”
Cosgrove scored nine points in the game, all in the second half.
The Arrows trailed the entire contest, even by as much as 12 in the second half, until Cosgrove’s shot.
Like Sachem East coach Matt Brisson’s teams often do, especially at home, they dug deep, used their bench accordingly and rode their stars Katie Doherty and Kathleen Everson with precision and smart plays down the stretch.
Copiague was outscored 19-7 in the fourth quarter.
Doherty led all scorers with 30 points, while Everson had 12 points and seven rebounds.
-Words by Chris R. Vaccaro