Commack girls basketball overcomes slow start as Sofia Vasselman, Alexa Rosenbach, Gianna Solch lead win over Sachem East
Commack's Sofia Vasselman (1) puts one up while covered by Sachem East's Olivia Barone (15) in the fourth quarter during a Suffolk girls basketball game on Monday Jan 13, 2025. Credit: Bob Sorensen
Something was a little off about the Commack girls basketball team even before the opening whistle. Senior guard Sofia Vasselman could sense it before the game, and entering a matchup against a team that had its season ended by Commack last season, she knew Monday’s contest could be a challenge.
At halftime, the team addressed a slower start and wanted to make sure the second half went differently.
“We started a little sloppy, so we wanted to pick it up,” Vasselman said. “Our warmup wasn’t the best, so I think we got off to a slow start. But we know our potential. We talked about it at halftime and we kind of got woken up and then came out better and stronger.”
Commack scored the final 11 points of the second quarter and the first five of the third quarter and defeated host Sachem East, 47-33, in Suffolk League II play on Monday.
Alexa Rosenbach scored 13 points, all in the second half; Gianna Solch also had 13 points, including nine in the first half, and Vasselman had 11 points and seven steals for Commack (10-3, 7-0).
“We all saw that the first half wasn’t great,” Rosenbach said. “So in the second half, we switched our mindsets. We went out there and played our game.”
“[Rosenbach] had a couple tremendous rebounds and putbacks in the fourth quarter, which was huge,” coach Dave Moran said. “I was super-proud of her and she’s only a sophomore, so she has a high ceiling.”
Sachem East (4-9, 3-2) led 11-9 after the first quarter and opened an 18-12 advantage before Commack closed the final four minutes of the first half on an 11-0 run and then made it 16 straight points for a 28-18 lead.
Commack is coming off a 22-1 season last year, with its only loss coming against Whitman in the Suffolk Class AAA final. Commack defeated Sachem East during that run to the county final and the team is focused on taking home the program’s first county title since 2018.
“I think we have more motivation than ever,” Solch said. “We’re all dying to win a county championship this year and that’s really our main goal.”
“People definitely think we’re very strong and we just want to prove people right about that,” Vasselman said. “We have a different team, but we have to keep up that high bar we’ve set. It’s going to be tough, but I think we’re going to get there.”
