Sandra Chen helps Jericho win Nassau girls badminton crown
Jericho’s Sandra Chen quietly pumps her fist after every point she earns. As the sophomore rushed back to loft a perfect shot that suddenly dropped right as the birdie went over the net for the winning point against Great Neck South’s Hannah Cheng, her fingers curled into that same fist pump.
Only something was different about this one, even if Chen didn’t know it at the time. That point clinched the Nassau team championship with her 21-19, 21-18 win at first singles to deliver Jericho’s first Nassau girls badminton title since 2019 as the undefeated No. 1 Jayhawks defeated the No. 2 Rebels, 5-2, at Plainview-Old Bethpage Middle School Monday afternoon.
“It’s definitely nice to know it meant that much more to the team,” Chen said.
Jericho (17-0) will face Suffolk’s Commack in the Long Island championship game Wednesday at 4:30 back at Plainview-Old Bethpage Middle School.
Jericho coach Mark Burkowsky beamed with pride for his team, a program that finally overcame the hurdle after falling to Great Neck South (14-2) in each of the last four Nassau title games.
“You couldn’t ask for a better match than this between two very well-polished teams,” Burkowsky said. “When Sandra won that last point… your whole attitude of the moment just changes to happiness and relief at the same time.”
Like Chen, Jericho senior Alanna Santiago and freshman Jessica Peng didn’t know the meet’s score as they battled a third game against Great Neck South’s Michelle Ye and Jessica Jacob before winning 21-19, 17-21, 22-20.
“I was so stressed, but I kept telling myself, ‘We can’t let the birdie drop,’” Santiago said. “I think knowing that it was Great Neck South — from our past experiences with them — it motivated me more to win.”
“It’s really exciting, it’s my first year playing with Jericho varsity,” Peng, a freshman, said. “It’s such an honor to play with [Santiago], too.”
Jericho added an impressive first doubles win via Amy Chen and Hannah Miu, a pair of seniors that Burkowsky praised for training extra this spring to overcome the Nassau doubles individual champions in Great Neck South’s Emma Ding and Eva Westbay, winning 21-18, 21-16.
“Those girls wanted it, and you can see it in the game that they played,” Burkowsky said. “The Great Neck South girls play amazing defense, so our strategy is just to keep it away from their high racquets and keep it low and outside.”
“We all knew it’s our year,” Sandra Chen said. “We wanted to earn it; we wanted to deserve it. We all fought really hard for that.”
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