Smithtown Christian girls basketball's Annalyn Loiacono leads Knights to first state semifinal
Smithtown Christian celebrates its win against Eldred in the state Class D girls basketball regional final at Suffolk County Community College in Selden on Saturday, March 7, 2026. Credit: Anna Connors
The Smithtown Christian girls basketball team wasn't going to let its season end on Saturday.
"The girls did not lose faith," coach Joseph Loiacono said. "They kept the hope up the whole game, and, like we have done many times in the past, we were able to overcome."
Smithtown Christian secured the Class D Southeast Regional title in a 55-49 comeback victory over Eldred at Suffolk Community College in Selden on Saturday.
The Knights (14-5) advance to their first state semifinal in program history, according to Loiacono. Their state semifinal contest will be 7:45 p.m. on March 19 at Hudson Valley Community College.
"It was an incredible effort from us," Loiacono said. "We are such a young team, and the way they fought back in the game was incredible. It's an honor to coach these girls."
With three players in foul trouble late in the fourth quarter and the Knights up by one, Isabella James knocked down a deep three-pointer from the left wing to take a 52-48 lead with a minute left. Junior point guard Annalyn Loiacono made three free throws in the final minute to secure the win.
The Knights outscored Eldred, 13-5, in the fourth quarter to secure the comeback.
"I was missing most of my shots today, but I knew I can just put all my focus on making [it], I knew I could do it," James said. "When I make those big-time shots, it feels like I'm making a real difference."
The Knights fell into a 20-13 hole in the first quarter. However, they made the necessary defensive adjustments, which led to an 8-2 run in the second quarter, capped by a score from eighth-grader Nadia Madu off a Loiacono feed, bringing the score to 22-21. Kayla Kistler knocked down a midrange jumper with seconds winding down in the frame to tie the score at 30.
"We all played together," Madu said. "We all worked hard for this moment, all the early workouts, and all the hard work we put in this season has paid off."
Annalyn finished with 21 points and eight assists, Antonella Crilly scored 14 points, and Madu had 14 points for Smithtown Christian.
"For me, it was a mental game," said Annalyn, who is Joseph's daughter. "I knew I had to impact the game any way I could. I tried to get my teammates involved the best way I could, and they showed up."
Olivia Gonzales scored 22 points and Avery Moscatiello added eight points for Eldred (8-10).
Smithtown Christian looks forward to its chance at history at the state semifinals.
"We are going to be the youngest team up there, so we have to dominate every way we can," Annalyn said. "If we play as hard as we can, we can win the state championship."
Jonathan Ruban covers high school sports for Newsday after graduating from St. John’s.
