Smithtown Christian girls basketball falls to unbeaten Chateaugay in state Class D semifinal
Annalyn Loiacono of Smithtown Christian takes a shot against Chateaugay in a state Class D girls basketball semifinal on Thursday, March 19, 2026, in Troy. Credit: Stephen Weaver/Stephen Weaver
TROY — Though its season has reached its end, the Smithtown Christian girls basketball team has nothing to be ashamed of.
The Knights were defeated by the unbeaten Chateaugay of Section X, 62-37, in the semifinals of the state Class D Tournament at Hudson Valley Community College on Thursday night. They finished their season 14-6. Chateaugay (27-0) will face Notre Dame in the finals at HVCC at 7:45 p.m. on Friday.
This trip to the state’s final four was Smithtown Christian’s deepest run in program history. The Knights were able to do so playing one of the youngest lineups in the state on a nightly basis. Not only was junior guard Annalyn Loiacono their star, but she was also their elder statesman — and by a wide margin.
The team regularly deployed four freshmen and two eighth graders to surround Loiacono, and they flashed lots of promise throughout the year, despite playing most of their games against Class A, B and C opponents. Eighth-grade forward Nadia Madu averaged around 14 points and eight rebounds per game, while classmate guard Isabella James and freshman guard Antonella Crilly each averaged eight points. Freshman forwards Kayla Kistler and Keimora Henri, alongside classmate guard Becklyn Nieves, all carved out valuable roles with the team as well.
“I’m very proud of them,” said Loiacono, who averaged 18 points per game during the regular season. “They’ve grown so much since the beginning of this year. It makes me very excited for next year.”
Though inexperienced, they managed to win a state regional against Eldred, 55-49, on March 7, bringing themselves within a game of the final. Getting to experience varsity basketball in such a high-stakes, high-pressure environment is a huge boost for the budding program moving forward.
“Playing on this big stage in front of everybody is a lot,” Loiacono said. “Especially playing against teams that are much older, it’s going to make things different for us moving forward. This experience is so valuable. The environment was incredible to play in, and to do it with my best friends was so much fun. This is preparing us for next year, and all of the tough games that are going to have to come.”
The Knights came out strong on Thursday night, battling through a first quarter that had four lead changes and three ties. They led 13-12 with the opening period winding down, but Chateaugay eighth-grade guard Khloe Parmeter beat the buzzer with a three-pointer from the left wing to take the lead back.
That energy play carried into the second quarter, as Chateaugay simply became unguardable from all three levels. Whether they were shooting threes, settling from mid-range or even coming downhill, the Bulldogs just could not miss.
Parmeter’s older sister — junior guard Payton — beat the second-quarter buzzer from deep to hand the Knights a 30-21 deficit going into halftime. Chateaugay did not slow down from there, outscoring Smithtown Christian 19-4 in the third quarter to enter the fourth quarter up 49-25, putting it out of reach.
Loiacano had five points and seven assists. Madu led all scorers with 23 points, adding 10 rebounds and four blocks.
Now that the Knights know what this tournament is like, they can not wait to get back at it next year.
“We’re coming back here next year,” Madu said. “I know what to expect, and I know the mindset I should be in, and this will help our team since we’ll know how these teams are. We’ll know much more by then. I’m really, really comfortable, and I just know we’re going to do good next year. I’m really excited . . . we’ll be waiting for this.”
Mike Anderson is a high school sports reporter who has covered 12 sports so far at Newsday. He was the sports editor of Stony Brook University's campus newspaper for two years.
