Under the pressure of preserving its unbeaten record, St. Dominic had what it took.
The Bayhawks defeated St. Anthony’s, 47-38, in a NSCHSAA matchup at home Friday night. Senior Mia Padula scored 12 points. including three three-pointers, for St. Dominic. For her, the win felt like a full-circle moment.
“I came to [St. Dominic] my sophomore year and, now as a senior, this is our first time beating [St. Anthony’s],” Padula said. “We really wanted to win this one, so we came out firing.”
Gabrielle Himmelstein’s seven points and three assists in the first half led the Bayhawks to a 20-17 halftime lead, but it was a strong third-quarter performance that sealed the deal. St. Dominic outscored the Friars, 16-6, in the third frame to give the team a 13-point lead heading into the fourth.
“We’ve been excited for this game all season,” Himmelstein said. “As seniors, it’s our last time playing St. Anthony’s and it shows our growth over the years that we were finally able to finish with a strong win against them.”
Himmelstein tallied 12 points and four assists on the day to lift St. Dominic to 11-0, 5-0 while handing St. Anthony’s (10-1, 2-1) its first loss. St. Dominic coach Paul Bianco said the win marks a significant milestone in league play.
“Knowing that [St. Anthony’s] has been at the top of the conference, we knew this would be an obstacle for us,” Bianco said. “They were an obstacle that we wanted to be able to get past, and doing that sets the tone for the rest of our season and our ultimate goal: a conference championship.”
Bianco said going from a three-point lead at the half to building a significant lead, were because of necessary adjustments at halftime.
“It came down to defense,” Bianco said. “It was all about defense. A commitment to defense, to each other, to communication and to working together as a team. We had some huge contributions in really big moments to make it all work out.”
St. Anthony’s outscored the Bayhawks, 15-11, in the final quarter, but it wouldn’t be enough to push in front. Julia Anderson led the Friars with 16 points, 13 of which came in the second half.
“We just needed to trust each other as a team,” Padula said. “We know we can handle the ball very well, so we just needed to trust that we could find the extra person when we needed to and the baskets would follow.”
Tess Ferguson is a reporter on Newsday’s high school sports staff. She joined the team after graduating with a journalism degree from Ithaca College in 2025.
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