Leading off today: UConn-bound Andra Espinoza-Hunter scored 36 points and Kailah Harris posted her fifth straight double-double as
Ossining downed Our Lady of Lourdes 79-66 in the Section 1 girls Class AA basketball semifinals Thursday.
Harris, a sophomore, finished with 22 points.
"When Kailah plays like that, we're a different team," Ossining coach Dan Ricci told The Journal News.
The Pride will meet Albertus Magnus in pursuit of their seventh consecutive sectional title Sunday. Last month, the Lady Falcons ended Ossining's 93-game winning steak against Section 1 opponents.
More girls basketball: Central Islip worked back from a 15-point deficit in the first half and defeated Commack 60-56 for the Section 11 girls Class AA championship. Chanel Taylor had 18 points and seven assists, and Anyha Jenkins added 16 points.
Spectators booted: The PSAL boys basketball playoff game between Curtis and Brooklyn Collegiate was briefly stopped late in the fourth quarter so security could clear the home bleachers after an altercation between players from both teams as well as some Curtis fans.
When play resumed, Curtis finished off an 85-63 victory in the Class AA tournament.
"It got a little ugly at the end," first-year Curtis coach Dwayne Archbold told The Advance. "That gym is so small. Everyone is on top of each other. It was a chippy game. There were a lot fouls and what happened was one player from their team said something to one of our fans and it got heated. But our school safety officers and the NYPD were on top of it."
Curtis advances to play Queens High School of Teaching in Saturday's quarterfinals at Baruch College.
Samuel Majekodunmi scored 24 points to pace the winners.
More boys basketball: Half Hollow Hills East edged Bay Shore 64-62 to win its first championship, taking home the Section 11 Class AA championship.
"We've been aware of it for quite a while. This was the game of the year for our school," guard Julien said Crittendon (18 points) told Newsday.
Crittendon's layup with 2:35 left gave HHHE a 59-49 lead, but Bay Shore chipped away, closing to within one point on a Jose Rivera (27 points) 3-pointer with :25 left. Kioni Nedd then gave HHHE breathing room with a pair of free throws.
Guard Savion Lewis added 19 points, seven assists and three steals in the win.
Half Hollow Hill East will play the winner of Saturday's Section 8 championship game between Uniondale and Westbury on March 12 in the NYSPHSAA quarterfinals.
• Iona Prep (15-12) stayed alive in the CHSAA postseason with a 52-46 win over Monsignor Scanlan.
"We've been struggling all season to make plays in the fourth quarter," said Bryce Wills, who scored eight of his nine points in the period, including a 3-pointer with 1:20 to go.
Iona Prep will face Bishop Loughlin in Sunday's quarterfinal quadrupleheader at Fordham University.
Another study released: A report published by the European Chemicals Agency this week indicated that there is little cause for concern regarding exposure to chemicals associated with synthetic turf surfaces and recycled crumb rubber infill.
