Sunday, Feb. 8, 2015: Forfeits snap Piccininni's 170-match streak

   Leading off today: One of the most impressive long-running performances in state scholastic history ended Saturday when Ward Melville wrestler Nick Piccininni had to forfeit a pair of matches at the Suffolk County League I championships.

   The three-time defending state champion suffered a high ankle sprain in practice Tuesday and was only able to wrestle one bout, pinning Brentwood's Edgar Gomez in 2:52. His injury default loss to Commack's Nick Munsch in the semifinals marked the end of Long Island's longest winning streak at 170 matches, Newsday reported.

   Piccininni also had to forfeit the third-place match in the 126-pound division. He remains eligible for the Suffolk County overall championships next weekend.

   "I knew I was going to have to wrestle with it and see how it felt afterward," he told the paper. "It takes constant work -- I've been icing it every second of the day and been to physical therapy and specialists to get it under control."

   Girls title goes to Massena: Amber Thomas scored twice and goalie Kyrsten Stone stopped all 24 shots she faced as Massena defeated Kenmore 3-0 in the final of the NYSPHSAA girls hockey regional tournament.

   On the first shift of the game, Massena junior Molly O'Connell won the puck just inside the blue line in the offensive zone and centered to Thomas, who was alone at the top of the slot. Thomas fired inside the left post 1:28 into the game.

   KC Herne's empty-net goal with 55.5 seconds left sealed it for Massena.

   "Before the game, we talked about coming out and trying to seize the opportunity right away," Massena coach Jennifer Gray told The Daily Times. "We wanted to jump on them early and never let up."

   Friday boys basketball: Third-ranked Abraham Lincoln edged No. 2 Thomas Jefferson 82-77 in a battle of state-ranked PSAL teams at Lincoln. It ended Jefferson's bid for a perfect season in Brooklyn Class AA play.

   "In the sense of the rivalry it was a huge win because it let (Jefferson) know that this is still a rivalry," first-year Railsplitters coach Kenny Pretlow told The Daily News. "Now they know this is Lincoln. This is our house ... it's going to be hard to get a win here."

   Senior Jahlil Tripp paced the winners with 19 points and 16 rebounds, and senior Greg Poleon notched 17 points and 11 rebounds. Freshmen Tyler Bourne and Paul Person Jr. combined to score 27.

   In CHSAA action, Cardinal Hayes ended the 11-game winning streak by fifth-ranked Iona Prep with a 69-65 overtime win.

   Hayes forced overtime on Baron Goodridge's 3-pointer over 6-foot-7 Matt Ryan with :04.6 left.

   Clive Allen led Hayes with 22 points and Jeff Hayden added 12 and six rebounds.

   "I hate it," Ryan told The Journal News. "I don't want to lose, but we just have to bounce back and win again next week."

   Section 3 milestones: New York Mills coach Mike Adey tied the Section 3 record for boys basketball coaching wins with a 71-31 triumph vs. Otselic Valley on Saturday. Adey has 539 wins in 35 seasons at Rome Catholic, New Hartford and New York Mills to match the total of Al Knapp, who retired in 2011.

   The Marauders (15-2), ranked second in Class D, play at Old Forge on Tuesday.

   On Friday, Syracuse Corcoran's Jim Marsh tied the girls wins record when the Cougars rolled past Henninger 60-22.

   It was win No. 492 for Marsh, tying, former Nottingham coach Willetta Spease.

   The Cougars return to the court Tuesday against Liverpool.

   A crazy comeback: A girls basketball game on Staten Island last weekend will almost certainly go into the books as the wildest rally in any sport across the state this school year.

   Moore Catholic went from 25 points down late in the third quarter to a 17-point win in overtime against St. Joseph Hill. The Mavericks finished on a jaw-dropping 44-2 run in the fourth quarter and overtime to prevail 78-61.

   "I can't believe it ... it's unbelievable," Moore senior Diana Todaro told The Advance. "Even when we were down as much as we were, we still believed in each other and kept pushing to keep going. This is a game I'll remember forever."

   St. Joseph Hill shot a blistering 16-for-20 in the first half and led 59-34 following an Alyssa Barry 3-pointer with :24 to go in the third quarter. But 6-foot-4 Moore center Dina Motrechuk converted a rebound 13 seconds later and added 10 more points during a 15-0 run to trim the deficit to 10 points with 4:10 to play.

   Patricia Conroy scored to break the Moore streak with 2:45 to go, but that would be the end of St. Joseph Hill's scoring for the game.

   The Mavericks scored the final 12 points of regulation, including two baskets in a four-second span with time winding down to tie. Briana Connor opened OT with a three-point play and Motrechuk hit in the paint to make it 66-61 as Moore started to pull away.

   Motrechuk finished with game highs in points (33), rebounds (14) and blocks (eight). Todaro scored 10 of her 17 points after the end of the third quarter.