LIVINGSTON MANOR – The Lady Wildcats of Livingston Manor will be representing Section IX and Sullivan County tonight as they take on Smithtown Christian (SCS) from Section XI in a State Regional matchup.

This is not the first time these two teams have met in Regionals, as Smithtown Christian defeated Livingston Manor 44-34 in the 2019 Regionals at Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh.

The only Lady Wildcat returning from that team is Kristina Davis, a senior who has been Manor’s leading scorer all season.

“It’s been a blessing that I could be playing this far into the season, and I’m grateful to have a team who cares and shows dedication. Everyone on the team has improved throughout the season and I’m beyond thankful for getting this far,” Davis said.

The Lady Knights have had an up and down season, much like Livingston Manor, finishing below .500 in their overall record. Smithtown Christian will certainly be a challenge, as they have a junior, Abbey Loiacono, averaging 27.6 points per game according to MaxPreps.

The Lady Wildcats underwent a personnel change at the helm, operating this year under Maggi Fitzpatrick, a Livingston Manor alum. Entering the state tournament in her first season as head coach is no small feat, considering the Eldred and Chapel Field teams that she had to get through to make it this far.

“Our goal from the beginning of the season was to win sectionals and make it into the State tournament,” Fitzpatrick explained. “All of our work throughout the season has been with this in mind.”

“We used each regular season non-league game as practice to improve on a certain area of our game, and now that we have achieved our initial goal, the preparation for the regional game looks different,” she continued. “Our goal now is to win the semi-regional and regional rounds and earn a spot in the final four. In order to do that, we have to focus one game at a time. For this first one, we must stop Smithtown Christian’s leading scorer on defense and playing a team offensive game. We won’t win games at this stage of the season at the hand of one player, and every day we are working on scoring as a team.”

At this point in the season, nothing is given. Coach Fitzpatrick and the Lady Wildcats will have a tough road ahead, but their willingness to learn and grow together is what got them into the state tournament.

“I’m excited to have reached our initial goal of becoming Section IX champions,” said Fitzpatrick, “and I am grateful for the gift of every extra day of basketball we have earned.”