Thursday night, I cancelled my original plans to watch two other games in order to catch this league 3 matchup. The game had the makings of a tremendous game - two quality teams battling for first place, a large and noisy crowd, plus a number of college coaches. Some of the notable coaches present were the head coaches from St. John's, Seton Hall, Stony Brook and Notre Dame. Assistant coaches from Vanderbilt, Pitt, Richmond, DePaul and Temple were also in the crowd.The first half saw both teams make runs to take leads, with North Babylon scoring the last 4 points of the half to turn the momentum in their favor. The first half was a highlight reel for Gabrielle Gibson as she was feeling it. Copiague dominated the boards led by Dominique Cunningham. Despite all this, North Babylon's Eugeneia McPherson would constantly answer right back as she kept her team in striking distance. At the beginning of the 3rd quarter, Gabrielle Gibson would hurt her ankle, sending her to the bench for the remainder of the game. The question now was which of her teammates other than Walker would step up? North Babylon not only grabbed the opportunity provided by Gibson's injury but the fact that only Walker stepped up in the second half. North Babylon also controlled the boards most of the second half, led by Kasyrah Bryant and Maliqua Fisher. With Gibson out, Copiague's weaknesses at the defensive end were exploited. Despite this, Ieasia Walker would rally her team to within 5 points, but McPherson and company would hold off the Eagles. Bryant's play was instrumental in North Babylon's victory. The next time these teams meet in the season finale, not only will first place be on the line but playoff seedings will be at stake also....