McQuaid senior Dominic Bozzelli became just the third golfer to win back-to-back New York State Public High School Athletic Association championships, firing a 3-under-par 69 in Monday's second round to triumph by five strokes at Cornell University's Robert Trent Jones Golf Course.

   He joins Dan DeLetka (1973-74) and Tom Scherrer (1988-89) as the only New Yorkers to defend titles. Pittsford Sutherland's Andrew Kay (2006) is the only other Section 5 player to have won the tournament.

   Bozzelli, who will attend Central Florida in the fall, finished with a two-day total of 140, five shots ahead of Penfield junior Yarik Merkulov, who finished second for the second straight year. He began the day with a two-stroke lead over schoolmate Andrew Lane and took command with birdies at No. 7 and 9. He capped a four-birdie, one-bogey round by making a 4 on the 545-yard, par-5 18th.

   "I just tried to savor the moment on 18 knowing it was the last hole of my high school golf career," he told the Democrat and Chronicle.

   Merkulov birdied five of his first 11 holes en route to a 67 and his fourth straight top-10 showing at the tournament. Lane finished in a tie for third at 146 as part of a Section 5 team effort that saw seven golfers place tied for 14th or better.

   Another great duel: Hempstead's Charlene Lipsey and Garden City's Emily Menges continued their season-long battle for superiority in the 800 meters at the Section 8 state qualifier meet at Westbury High.

   Lipsey took first in 2:10.30 and Menges second in 2:11.38 to qualify for the NYSPHSAA championships at Cicero-North Syracuse June 12-13.

   "I wasn't trying to run too hard," Lipsey, the reigning Federation 800-meter outdoor champion, told Newsday "I ran in a big meet on Saturday and my legs just weren't into it."

   Other Division I qualifiers include Roslyn junior Emily Lipari (9:46.06) and Samantha Nadel (9:49.05) in the 3,000.

   Breakthrough for Stewart: Ever-improving Cicero-North Syracuse basketball star Breanna Stewart was the youngest player selected to the U.S. Basketball girls Under-16 team over the weekend in Colorado Springs, Colo.

   Stewart, 14, was one of the dozen players selected to represent the country at the FIBA Americas Tournament this summer in Mexico (subject to change because of swine flu concerns) with a berth in the 2010 Under-17 World Championships at stake. Thirty-four freshmen and sophomores were invited to the tryouts.

   Stewart was a seventh-team selection in Class AA on the New York State Sportswriters Association all-state team this year. Though her offensive skills are rapidly catching up, the 6-foot-3 freshman has made her biggest impression with her shot-blocking and ability to run the floor.

   She will be one of three 6-foot-3 post players on the tournament roster.

   Christ The King sophomore shooting guard Bria Smith was also invited to the camp but did not make the cut despite a reportedly solid performance.