Saturday, May 21, 2016: Top-ranked Bay Shore ousted in Sec. 11 baseball

   The best season in the 97-year history of baseball at Bay Shore ended Friday in the Section 11 Class AA tournament when the Marauders lost to Northport 5-3 in the double-elimination phase of the playoffs.

   Nick Palmerini allowed six hits and struck out nine in a complete-game victory over Bay Shore (20-4), ranked No. 1 by the New York State Sportswriters Association. Northport second baseman George Sutherland slugged a two-run home run in the first inning and first baseman Dan Heller launched a two-run shot in the fourth for a 5-0 lead.

   Northport, seeded eighth in the playoffs, meet Smithtown West on Monday to open the best-of-three semifinals.

   Leftover lacrosse: Matt Hill scored with 1:21 to go in overtime to lift Webster Thomas to a 12-11 win over Pittsford on Thursday in Section 5 regular-season action.

   Pittsford is ranked third in Class A and Thomas 16th in Class B this week by the NYSSWA.

   Pierce Currie finished with four goals and two assists for the Titans. Pittsford had tied the contest with :26 left in regulation on Jon Perotto's fifth goal of the contest.

   On the coaching front: Peekskill girls basketball is heading for its fourth coach in four seasons. Kimberly Saxton will not return to the Red Devils despite a 16-6 record last winter.

   Saxton told the Peekskill Post she wants to spend more time focusing on other aspects of her career.

   "I just completed my master's in education for school district leadership from Mercy College," she said. "Coaching took up a lot of my time last season and I just don't have the time to offer again next year. I really enjoyed coaching this year and I plan on staying close with the girls and wish them the very best next season."

   Said Superintendent Dr. David Fine: "We're proud of her. She did a great job with the girls and with the program."

   'Hate speech' investigation: School leaders for both districts say they found that anti-Semitic language was used during a recent boys lacrosse game between Fairport and Brighton. What makes the incident all the more complex is that at least some of the remarks reportedly were made between friends in a playful manner that wasn't interpreted as hostile.

   "Intent does not diminish the significance or seriousness of the situation," the districts' statement said. "Behaviors have consequences no matter what the intent may be."

   WHEC-TV reported the language in question came from Fairport players during the Red Raiders' 15-7 win over Brighton on Tuesday.

   Following up: You might remember the story a couple of months back about the baskets at the Georgia state boys basketball tournament being positioned incorrectly for the entire weekend of title games at Macon Coliseum. Somehow, the baskets were anchored in such a way that the backboards were directly over the baselines instead of set one foot onto the court.

   The fallout from the episode arrived this week with the announcement that the Georgia High School Association is set to move the tournament from Macon after nearly a half-century of playing at least a portion of the event there.

   The state finals next year likely will be played at the University of Georgia's Stegeman Coliseum and Georgia Tech's McCamish Pavilion. An announcement is expected within the next several weeks.

   Transactions: Joe Staszewski penned a farewell column this week for Courier Life Publications, where he had a thumb on the pulse of Brooklyn high school sports.

   He's being replaced by Laura Amato.

   "I do exit saddened by the lack of coverage the current click-driven media reality has created for high-school sports in New York City -- and I am thankful that this paper continues to see the value in it," he wrote. "There are amazing stories to tell, incredible people to give their due. One story or one comment to a college coach can aid in bettering a player's life and help them to move forward in the world."