Pierson girls basketball's Josie Mott, Molly Wolfson lead late run, key overtime win
Teammates rush to celebrate with Josie Mott of Pierson after time elapses in overtime in a Suffolk League VII girls basketball matchup against Greenport/Southold on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026 in Sag Harbor. Credit: Michael A. Rupolo Sr.
Josie Mott and Molly Wolfson form a backcourt duo that can score from anywhere on the court and keep the Pierson girls basketball team competitive in any late-game situation.
"Whenever we step on the court, our chemistry is always on point," Mott said. "Playing travel basketball and on the school team helps build our bond, and it helps a lot."
"I play AAU with Josie, so we have been playing for going on three years now," Wolfson said. "I love playing with her. She makes the game so much easier."
Mott and Wolfson combined for 37 points to lead Pierson to a 53-43 overtime victory over Greenport/Southold in a Suffolk VII matchup Friday night. Mott scored 20 points, while Wolfson scored 17.
"I told them to go and have fun out there because I like it when they are just having fun,” coach Woody Kneeland said. "They are very coachable, their attitudes are great in practice, and they will do whatever it takes to win."
The Whalers went on a 9-2 run to open the fourth quarter after trailing 36-33 to begin the period. Wolfson capped the run with a three-pointer to make it 42-38 with two minutes left in the quarter.
Trailing 42-41, Greenport/Southold's Emily Manwaring recorded a steal with nine seconds left, went coast-to-coast, drew a foul, and made a free throw to tie the score at 42.
Mott and Wolfson played key roles in overtime, Mott made a three-pointer and a contested midrange jumper to help aid a Whalers 6-0 run. Wolfson iced the game at the foul line with two made free throws to make it 52-43 with 11 seconds left.
"Our energy was really great in the second half," Mott said. "We never stopped believing in each other. We didn't put our heads down and never looked back. Every time I got the ball, I just let my game come to me. My team put a lot of confidence in me, so I couldn't let them down."
Skye Smith added eight points and Georgie Finelli chipped in five points for Pierson (8-4).
Manwaring scored 19 points and Abigail Bednoski and Lyla Zablotny each added nine points for Greenport/Southold (6-3).
Kneeland praised the girls' resilience and ability to storm back late in games.
"It's about having short memory and sticking together," Kneeland said. "That's the only way we can achieve our goal, which is to try to get upstate."
It was Pierson's Spirit Night, and the energy from classmates, family, and friends gave the girls the boost they needed.
"We knew going into Spirit Night that we had to use the sounds to be able to play off that," Mott said. "Having an audience out there was fun. We usually don't get that, so we had to come out there and push it from the start and feed off the crowd's energy."
"Everybody in the town really showed up for tonight," Kneeland said. "It's great to have home court advantage, and quite frankly, we needed it."
Jonathan Ruban covers high school sports for Newsday after graduating from St. John’s.
