Newsday's All-Long Island girls basketball team 2026

Newsday Player of the Year: Kayla Solomon, St. Mary’s, G, Sr.

Kayla Solomon was just a freshman who played a limited role when she won her first state title at St. Mary’s. Along the way, Solomon rose to the status of showstopper, leading the Gaels back to the state CHSAA Class AA title.

The six-year varsity starter capped off an illustrious high school career, leading St. Mary's to its second state title in four years. Solomon averaged 22 points in her final season, earning Newsday Player of the Year honors.

Solomon, a dynamic guard who can score at all three levels, had a dominant playoff run. She scored 16 points to help the Gaels secure the Nassau-Suffolk CHSAA Class AA title. She also scored 29 points along with six three-pointers, shooting from everywhere on the floor to help lead St. Mary’s to victory over Christ the King in the state championship game.

"I tell people all the time I'm surprised when Kayla misses a shot," coach Kevin White said. "She does everything within our offense. If she's set and gets into rhythm, I expect her to be nothing but great."

In the state semifinals against St. Mary's (Lancaster), the University of Massachusetts Lowell commit scored 23 points, including her 2,000th varsity point, joining a list of only 27 Long Island girls basketball players.

"She came in from Central Islip, and she played with such high velocity," White said. "When you have someone who is a natural scorer, it takes the pressure off all the other girls on the team. Watching her basketball growth has been a pleasure to see."

Suffolk Player of the Year: Jazmynn Julien, Whitman, G, Jr.

She is so impactful that it actually hurts her statistics.

Julien averaged 14.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.9 steals per game, and some of those numbers pale in comparison to others on this list. However, Whitman averaged a 25-point margin of victory in its run to the Suffolk Class AAA title, so she hardly needed to play in the fourth quarter, which took away opportunities for her to fatten her statistics.

She was the engine of a Whitman offense that averaged over 55 points per game, and also the centerpiece of a defense that surrendered only 30.6 points per game — the fewest in Suffolk. She led Whitman's offense in points and was second in assists, and led the defense in rebounds and steals while also routinely taking on the toughest assignment.

Her 5-9 height, length and athleticism enabled her to play forward and guard offensive-minded bigs, while also being able to switch onto the wings on the perimeter. Her defensive presence prevented good looks from appearing, both from the outside and in the paint.

“We’re a drastically different team with her,” Whitman coach Daniel Trebour said. “She can get to the rim and score or get fouled, but we also couldn’t play this style of defense without her … She’s a very good defender on a very good defensive team. When she needed to cover scoring forwards, she did. When she needed to keep them off the glass, she did. When we needed her to bring pressure, she did.”

FIRST TEAM

Mia Betancourt, Mount Sinai, G, Sr.

She averaged 17.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game and posted three triple-doubles to lead the Mustangs to a 17-4 record and the top seed in the Suffolk Class A playoffs.

Meaghan Campbell, MacArthur, F, Sr.

She was a defensive anchor for the Generals in their historic season. Campbell became the first player in program history to record 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. She averaged 15.4 points, 15 rebounds and 6.5 blocks per game for a MacArthur team that went 20-0 in the regular season. The Vassar commit had a quadruple-double against Calhoun with 10 points, 15 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 blocks.

Sandra Clarke, Westhampton, G, Sr.

Her 13 points, seven rebounds, six assists and three steals per game helped lead Westhampton to its third consecutive Suffolk Class AA title. She scored 31 points in a 61-58 win over Garden City to lead the Hurricanes to their first Long Island title since 2005.

Ava DeMarco, Northport, G, Jr.

She averaged 11.7 points, 6.1 assists and 4.7 steals per game. Her impact helped make Northport achieve an undefeated regular season and a Suffolk League III title, finishing 20-1 overall and 16-0 in league play.

Maeve Downing, New Hyde Park, G, Sr.

After suffering an ACL injury last year, she averaged 20.3 points, 12.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 2.9 steals and 1.5 blocks per game this season. Downing scored her 1,000th point this year and led the Gladiators to a playoff win in which she had 23 points, eight rebounds and five assists.

Alyssa Polonia, Baldwin, G, Sr.

The Assumption commit is a three-point marksman with limitless range. After graduating six seniors, the Bruins needed someone to be the leader, and she became the lead voice in the locker room. Polonia scored 12 of her 19 points in the fourth quarter of the Nassau Class AAA championship to lead Baldwin to back-to-back county titles. She averaged 15 points, five rebounds, four assists, and three steals.

Samantha Schneider, Syosset, G, Sr.

Long Island’s leading scorer averaged 27 points per game on 53% shooting and made 75 three-pointers at a 38% clip. She added seven rebounds per game. She had Long Island's highest single-game scoring performance with 45 points against Freeport on Jan. 29. The Carnegie Mellon commit finished her career as Syosset’s all-time leading scorer with 1,500 points.

Destiny Robinson, St. Mary’s, F, Sr.

The 6-1 forward was a commanding presence in the paint, averaging 19 points and 16 rebounds for the Gaels, who won the state CHSAA Class AA final. She is generating interest from multiple Division I schools. Her ability to anchor a defense and protect the rim was pivotal in St. Mary’s state title run.

Nassau Coach of the Year: Rory Malone, Cold Spring Harbor

He guided Cold Spring Harbor to its third consecutive county title and back-to-back Long Island championships. The Seahawks went undefeated (10-0) in league play and 19-5 overall.

Suffolk Coach of the Year: Katie Peters, Westhampton

She pushed her team to its third consecutive Suffolk Class AA championship and first Long Island title since 2005, going 22-3 and finishing league play at 16-0 for the Suffolk IV title.

SECOND TEAM

Savanna Appleton, Massapequa, F, Sr.

Whenever her team needed a play, she delivered. In the Class AAA semifinals, Appleton scored 12 of her 18 points in the fourth quarter in a 50-41 win over Uniondale. She averaged 13 points, nine rebounds, 1.5 blocks and two steals per game. She had over 10 rebounds in 12 games and had 10 games with two or more blocks.

Riley Currier, Kings Park, C, Fr.

She dominated every inch of the paint, averaging 17.6 points, 11.8 rebounds and 4.7 blocks per game, leading her team to a 16-5 record. She shot over 77% from the free-throw line.

Jaclyn Engel, Ward Melville, G, Sr.

She was the offensive centerpiece for one of Suffolk’s best teams at 19.4 points and 3.7 assists per game. She also nabbed 4.5 steals per game to help Ward Melville go 17-4 and reach the Suffolk Class AAA semifinals.

Laila Folkes, Connetquot, G, Soph.

Suffolk’s leading scorer finished at 22.8 points per game — 3.5 clear of the next highest scorer. She added seven rebounds, three assists and three steals per game in her first year at Connetquot after playing last season with Portledge. She has already scored 1,249 varsity points, reaching the 1,000 benchmark in December.

Madison Harris, Freeport, F, Jr.

She was a dominant force in the paint. Harris averaged 15 points, nine rebounds and three steals, anchoring a Freeport defense that allowed only 38.8 points per game.

Gabby Nicolini, MacArthur, G, Sr.

She averaged 17.4 points, 10 rebounds and five assists per game for a MacArthur team that had its first undefeated regular season in program history.

Kayla Lederer, East Meadow, G, Sr.

She was a lockdown defender throughout her varsity career. She used her explosive speed and athleticism to break the other team’s full-court presses and play in the fast break. Lederer averaged 19 points, six assists and seven steals per game.

Alyssa Lorefice, Smithtown West, F, Sr.

She averaged 17.6 points, five rebounds and three assists, finishing both at the rim and beyond the arc.  Her versatility led a team that finished 15-6 overall and placed second in Suffolk III.

Kayla Mannix, Wantagh, F, Jr.

Her two-way impact was integral to Wantagh’s success throughout the regular season. Mannix's ability to get downhill and score in transition while also taking the toughest assignment on defense led Wantagh to the top seed in Nassau Class A. She averaged 16.8 points, 10 rebounds, four steals and 1.5 blocks per game. She totaled 12 double-doubles.

Danielle Perfetto, Manhasset, G, Jr.

She was the offensive focal point for Manhasset with her ability to finish around the basket, shoot from beyond the arc and create for teammates. She averaged over 18 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals per game.

Zahara Saintyl, Uniondale, F, Sr.

The 6-1 forward was the second-highest scorer in Nassau at 20.5 points per game. She added 10 rebounds and three steals per game. She was even better in the playoffs, averaging 26 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and four steals per game in the team’s two playoff games.

Kate Sweet, Westhampton, G, Jr.

She elevated to another level in the postseason. Her 15 points per game led the Suffolk Class AA champions, as did her four steals and six deflections per game. Sweet added five rebounds and three assists per game. However, it was her 21 points per game in the Suffolk playoffs, including 21 in a three-point win over Hauppauge and 28 in the county finals victory against Harborfields, that prove her a true star.