Freeport girls basketball's Madison Harris, Shaniya Bonny lead midseason, new-look squad
Madison Harris of Freeport battles against Port Washington during a Nassau girls basketball game on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026 in Port Washington. Credit: Kelvin Loarca
When sophomore point guard Ja'Niyah Eady moved to Florida last week, the Freeport girls basketball team was missing a key piece of their offense. Coach Meredith Jones needed everyone to step up and fill that role.
Madison Harris answered the call.
"Ja'Niyah and I had great chemistry on the court," Harris said. "She's going to be missed, but I have to rely on my other teammates, and I believe that we can win any game."
Harris scored 12 of her 18 points in the second half to lead Freeport in a 51-42 victory over host Port Washington in a Nassau AAA-I matchup Saturday morning.
"Even before we lost Eady, we always tried to get [Harris] the ball more," Jones said. "She worked hard today, and she really got to show what she could do."
"I know it's a team effort, but sometimes you have to step up," Harris said. "If I step up, then everyone else will step up, and we can all work together to get the win."
Although the win feels great, the Freeport players felt like they could've been better.
"We had dumb fouls, and they are a great team. We underestimated them," senior guard Madison Starks said. "We have to work on some things in practice, but I believe in my teammates, and we are going to play better from here on out."
Freeport (13-1, 7-0) emphasizes defense, but the Vikings were able to penetrate it by getting to the rim and breaking their press, setting up their half-court offense.
"Our defense is what wins us games," Jones said. [Port Washington] would go on small runs, and then we would extend it again. It took time to shift and hone in."
Freeport led 27-19 at halftime. Harris scored eight of Freeport's 12 points in the third quarter as the Red Devils took a 39-27 lead.
"We didn't play our best game, but we played through it and got the win," Harris said. "I know how well we play as a team. When things are clicking, and we are playing more aggressively, we are the better team."
Port Washington cut Freeport's lead to 47-40 with 2:23 left in the game on a three-pointer by Alexa Goldstein. But the Vikings failed to bring the score any closer.
Shaniya Bonny added 11 points, four rebounds, and four blocks for Freeport.
Violet Ortenzi had 17 points and seven rebounds and Goldstein and Maggie Cassidy added nine points each for Port Washington (10-3, 4-3).
Jones believes close-game situations prepare Freeport for the postseason.
"I'm really looking forward to the postseason because these games help prepare us," Jones said. "We get to regroup and figure out what we need to tweak with our personnel and what works for us, and what doesn't."
Jonathan Ruban covers high school sports for Newsday after graduating from St. John’s.
