Longwood’s Kaylee Dwyer captures Suffolk girls singles; posts strong doubles showing

Kaylee Dwyer of Longwood won the Suffolk ‘A’ girls singles title at East Islip Lanes, posting a 484 two-game series with a 276 first game and a 208 second game, and then teamed with Lexie Cohen to capture the doubles crown with an 839 combined total. The doubles pair delivered steady games - Dwyer with 216 and 207 and Cohen with 204 and 212 - to finish clear of the field at the county singles-and-doubles tournament, Newsday reported.

Brooke Andresen of East Islip finished a close second in singles with a 482 series, after a 259 in Game 2, while Izzy Grillo of Comsewogue took third with a 449 series (227, 222). In doubles, Andresen and Makayla Boyd placed second with an 802 total; Grillo and Rosalia Manfre were third at 765; Sabrina Quaranta and Kaylee Tagliamonte of Sachem were fourth with 742; and Longwood teammates Jossalyn Liverpool and Alexis DiBella rounded out the top five with 700, according to tournament results reported by Newsday.

Dwyer framed her approach to those big games plainly: “You can’t play defense in bowling, so you’ve just got to go out there and do what you’re able to. When you get a really high score, you can’t just settle for something lower next time. You have to put your all into every shot.” Lexie Cohen, a senior, said this was her first time bowling with Dwyer and described the triumph as the payoff of hard work: “This was my first time bowling with Kaylee, but each of us has been grinding and working hard,” Cohen said. “We just keep picking each other up. We’ve been talking about being able to pull this off,” Cohen said. “I had the perfect partner and it’s certainly a special moment to win in my senior year.”

The results add to a dominant Longwood season. Messengerpapers lists the Longwood girls at 8-0-0 atop League I with three regular-season games remaining, with team averages led by Dwyer at 209 and Cohen at 190. Messengerpapers also notes Longwood and Comsewogue are tied at 290 points in league standings, with Longwood holding the edge through an unblemished record. Longwood’s home lanes are Coram County Lanes and the girls are coached by David Huey.

The success continues a strong program stretch: Scores Newsday’s Jan. 27 box score highlighted Longwood’s 25-15 victory over Patchogue-Medford, where Dwyer rolled a 258 in Game 1 on the way to a 738 series in that meet and teammate Avery Frank recorded a 232 game. The Longwood boys are also unbeaten, listed at 10-0-0 in League IV, with Doug Dwyer in his 23rd year as boys coach.

For Suffolk County readers, Dwyer’s singles title and the doubles victory with Cohen underscore Longwood’s depth and the program’s steady production of high-scoring bowlers. With regular-season league play still underway, Longwood’s remaining matches and postseason seeding will be worth watching at Coram County Lanes and other local venues. Newsday’s photo of the winners was credited to Michael A. Rupolo Sr.