Leading off today: A Suffolk County man is facing charges stemming from a skirmish at a high school basketball game Thursday at Half Hollow Hills West.
Wheatley Heights resident Jeffery Vernot, 36, was charged with third-degree assault and endangering the welfare of a child, after he allegedly punched a 15-year-old Comsewogue player, multiple media outlets reported. Vernot was issued an appearance ticket and News 12 Long Island reported he will be arraigned Jan. 30.
Video showed the incident beginning with shoving between players with 44 seconds remaining and HHHW holding a 63-52 lead. One spectator can be seen running the length of the court to join in the fight. Coaches, referees and site supervisors worked to break up the fight as several players left the bench area.
The alleged assault happened during the skirmish, the Comsewogue district said in a statement.
"The Comsewogue School District is deeply disappointed by the altercation that occurred during the boys' Varsity basketball game against Half Hollow Hills West on Thursday, January 8," the statement said.
The Half Hollow Hills district said it is cooperating with an investigation by the Suffolk County Police Department.
"Half Hollow Hills condemns violence of any kind at our sporting events or within our schools and considers such behavior completely unacceptable," said John O'Farrell, superintendent of schools.
The altercation was broken up quickly, and the game ended without play resuming. Section 11 Executive Director Tom Combs told Newsday that players engaging in the fight or leaving the bench area are subject to two-game suspensions.
Breakthrough honor for Webster Schroeder star
You're probably not going to win very many volleyball matches by putting three libero-type players on the floor at once, but you can do plenty with one exceptional athlete in the role.
To that end, Gatorade finally found a libero it could love, selecting Webster Schroeder's Maddie Siphakongviseth as its New York player of the year in girls volleyball.
Besides becoming the first Schroeder student to earn a Gatorade POY honor in any sport, Siphakongviseth is the first pure libero from New York to garner the recognition in a sport in which outsider hitters attract the majority of top honors. Connetquot's Mackenzie Cole earned the honor in after the 2017 season as a combination outside hitter/libero. Gatorade began honoring volleyball players in 1995.
"Maddie is a once-in-a-lifetime player," Fairport coach Trish Forgensi said in the release announcing the award. "She plays in a position that doesn't get recognized with stats like others, but there is truly no libero who can do what she does. The kid is just so good at her position and as a team player."
Siphakongviseth, a 5-foot-4 senior who has committed to Robert Morris University, amassed 662 digs and 123 assists in helping Schroeder to the NYSPHSAA Class AA championship.
PAST GATORADE NEW YORK AWARD WINNERS
Milestone
Nolan Brunelle took it to the wire on Monday, but the Jordan-Elbridge boys basketball star hit an impressive milestone during a 62-48 victory over Canastota.
Brunelle's layup with just under a minute to play made him the 10th Section 3 boys player ever to reach the 2,000-point mark.
He finished the night with 29 points. The fifth-year varsity player, who'll attend Keuka in the fall, is coached by his father, Ryan Brunelle, who held the school's career scoring mark until last season.
