Castka, Romano Lead Bayport-Blue Point to Third Straight Suffolk Small School Title
Through the first six flights of the Suffolk County Girls’ Small School Title on Thursday afternoon, Bayport-Blue Point and Ross were all squared up at three-all, meaning that the rematch of last year’s county final came down to one court: second doubles.
That’s where the pairing of Evie Romano & Lily Castka came up clutch for the Phantoms of Bayport-Blue Point. Despite both being freshman, the moment was not too big for either one of them.
“We just tried to stay positive throughout the whole match and focus on what we had to do,” said Castka. “There were a few times where we lost a bit of focus but we were able to regroup when we needed to.”
That focus would be crucial as with everyone looking on, spectactors and players alike, the freshman duo clinched their team’s third consecutive Suffolk County Small School title by winning 6-3, 6-2.
“We knew when we moved our feet, we were able to get everything back so we wanted to stay positive,” added Romano. “It was a little scary, but we played with each other a couple of times this season, so we looked back on those moments and knew we could do it.”
The Phantoms fell behind early on in the match, as the Ross School jumped out to a 2-0 advantage thanks to victories from Olivia Caruso at second singles and Lola Dangin at first singles.
But the first doubles pairing of Emilia Romano & Ava Duras got their team on the board with a win at first doubles, which was soon followed by a win by Charlotte Volpe & Danielle Oleksiak at third doubles.
Leah Richardt & Tania Mathew moved Bayport-Blue Point in front by way of their win at fourth doubles, but Daniela De La Vega evened things up for Ross with her win at third singles, which brought the county final down to the second doubles court, where Romano & Castka sealed their team’s victory.
By winning all four doubles flights, the Phantoms demonstrated just how deep its roster is.
“We had some big shoes to fill with the seniors who graduated last year, and we needed people to step up,” said head coach Keith Scharf. “It’s not just the 11 who played today, we have more on our roster that played matches during the season. We need our girls to step up and they did that not only today, but throughout the season.”
A key to the Phantoms sustained success over the last couple of seasons is how close the team is with each other, and the pride they take in representing their school and their community.
“Throughout the season we’ve gotten closer as a team, both on and off the court, and I feel like that’s helped us develop a greater bond as a team.”
Scharf added:
“This team is like a family. We have a small community here, and these girls are proud to represent Bayport-Blue Point. When they put on the uniform with that BBP logo, they know they are representing more than themselves, and they take that very seriously.”
Bayport-Blue Point will now try to go one step further than it has the previous two seasons as it advanced to the Long Island Small School Championship next week, where it will play the winner between Friends Academy and Cold Spring Harbor.
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