LAKE HUNTINGTON, NY — In his opening remarks at Sullivan West’s Winter Sports awards ceremony on March 3, varsity girls’ basketball coach Pat Donovan set the tone by referring to author Roy T. Bennett’s thoughts about believing in yourself and what you can accomplish in this life.

Quoting Bennett, he said, “Believe in yourself. You are braver than you think, more talented than you know, and capable of more than you can imagine.”

Then he continued. “Throughout this season, the girls next to me proved Roy’s statement. They proved to themselves, as well as others, that they indeed were capable of more than they imagined.”

Donovan noted that the hoops season kicked off with homestand wins against Chapel Field and Liberty, and their non-conference schedule “helped propel us through the season with wins against Eldred, Fallsburg, John S. Burke, Section IX champions Livingston Manor and a double-overtime thriller with our neighbor Monticello.”

Then things took a turn for the worse as the Lady Bulldogs dropped a couple, but rebounded at the Livingston Manor Wildcat Tournament, where they picked up first-place honors, Taylor Wall and Riley Ernst took home all-tourney awards, and Elanie Herbert was named Most Valuable Player.

As the season ebbed and flowed, it was time for sectionals, and Sullivan West drew the Lady Spartans of S.S. Seward, in a game that saw Sullivan West down 13 points going into the half, and trailing 14 points entering the final frame.

Donovan said that with five minutes remaining on the game clock, his team went on a 13-0 run, as Brielle Arnott “who we nicknamed 7-11, because she’s always open,” hitting a three, “Laniey [Herbert] hitting a three and a one-and-one, Riley [Ernst] making a layup from a three-quarter court pass from our floor general, Grace [Boyd].”

But with 17 seconds left in the game, Sullivan West fell to the swords of the Lady Spartans, ending the season with a 12-6 record.

“I am thankful and proud of what they have done over the year, and I am honored to be a small part of their lives,” said Coach Donovan, who wrapped up his remarks with an Irish toast.

“‘Always remember to forget/The things that made you sad./But never forget to remember/The things that made you glad.’”