Girls Basketball: A career day for Tabor as Clippers cruise to win

Sophomore guard Madison Tabor enjoyed a career game of her short Southold/Greenport girls basketball career Saturday afternoon.

She scored a career-high 23 points — 16 in the second half — to pace the Clippers to a 41-24 victory over East Hampton in a non-league home game. 

Tabor, who outscored her teammates and finished a point behind the visitors, sparked the attack with her defense with seven steals. She added five assists and three rebounds as the Clippers won their first game of the young season in five tries. East Hampton fell to 1-4.

Southold sophomore forward Toni Esposito scored only four points, but like Tabor, she proved to be a disruptive force against the Bonackers. She finished with five steals, five assists and seven rebounds, helping Southold set the tone.

The Bonackers held a 13-11 lead with 2:25 remaining in the second quarter, but failed to score a point over the next 12:25 as the hosts outscored them, 13-0, before East Hampton’s Sophia Depasquale (team-high nine points) sank a layup two minutes into the fourth period. By then, the Clippers had taken a 26-15 advantage and never looked back.

The Clippers play at Southampton in their final non-league game at 5:45 p.m. Thursday before opening its League VIII season at Shelter Island at 4 p.m. Friday.