Girls Basketball: McGayhey now top scorer on Long Island
Anyone who’s watched a Shelter Island girls’ basketball game knows that junior Kelsey McGayhey regularly scores more points than any player on the court. But what even she didn’t know, until recently, is that she leads Long Island in scoring, with an average of 22.6 points per game, according to scores reported to Newsday. Number two on the list of girls scoring leaders is Chelsea Williams of Copiague with 20.2 points.
McGayhey didn’t realize her number one status until her friend, volleyball teammate and basketball scorekeeper Haley Willumsen, posted the Newsday link on her Facebook wall a couple of weeks ago. “I was completely surprised,” she told the Reporter. “When I found out I kind of felt like it was too good to be true — maybe Suffolk, but not Long Island.”
McGayhey was also featured in a recent Newsday article, “Girls basketball beat: McGayhey’s arrived,” and was listed at the top of Newsday’s “players of the week” list this week. (To view the article online, visit newsday.com and search “McGayhey.”)
She’s made headlines in the Reporter in the past two weeks for setting new Shelter Island girls scoring records. She put up 37 points during the girls’ victory over Southold on February 8, breaking the previous scoring record (34) that she set on January 31 when the Indians crushed Port Jefferson. The girls varsity basketball program got its solo start six years ago. It had been a joint program with Pierson, according to Athletic Director and ex-girls varsity Coach Rick Osmer.
Being the Long Island scoring leader “made me appreciate how much effort I truly put into the sport, along with my team for helping me get there with their fantastic assists — especially Mackenzie [Needham] and Megan [Mundy],” she explained. McGayhey’s distinctions are well earned. She’s been playing basketball since she was in the fourth grade, beginning with the CYO girls team coached by her dad, Dave McGayhey. She says her older sister, Katie, another Indians basketball standout, has influenced her greatly.
Basketball is a team sport, of course, and McGayhey knows the Indians’ success depends on the team as a whole. “I’m proud to say my teammates are like family to me. I’m fortunate enough to be playing with my best friends, who I’ve also been playing with since CYO … I’m going to miss the seniors next year, but I’m so glad I had the opportunity to play with such awesome girls.”
She’s also an outstanding volleyball player and was a member of the team that went to the state championships last year. She’s not sure whether she prefers basketball or volleyball. “The only way to explain it is that what ever season I’m in, I tend to like that sport more — I always can’t decide.” She’s still not certain which to pursue in college.
Luckily she’ll have another year to decide as she spends her senior year racking up plenty more points for the Indians.
