Lady Cougars in need of rally

Westbury’s girls’ basketball team exploited its distinct height advantage to put on a rebounding clinic in last Friday’s methodical 42-29 win over the visiting Conference AA-III rival Bellmore-JFK.

Westbury sophomore Renee Watson (four points) tallied a career-high 20 boards and added two steals, while forwards Danielle Ramsey (seven points) and Melissa Eustache (10 rebounds) each hit the double-digit mark in rebounds to keep the Green Dragons’ slim playoff hopes alive with a 2-6 conference mark. “Mathematically, we’re still in [the playoff race],” Westbury coach Aaron Howell said. “To be honest, the fourth spot in our conference is really up for grabs between us, Carey, Bellmore-JFK and others. We’re going around the conference now for a second time, and this was our second time facing Bellmore-JFK this season. If we can earn some wins over the other contenders, maybe we can lock up that fourth playoff spot.”

Kennedy (3-5 in conference play, 4-7 overall) edged Westbury, 45-35, when the squads met Dec. 16, but it’s been all downhill for the Lady Cougars since the calendar turned to 2012. Last Friday’s defeat, which extended their losing streak to five games, put postseason dreams in serious jeopardy and coach Jon Dell’Olio is starting to worry about Kennedy’s fading playoff hopes. “The top three teams in our conference are Herricks, Mepham and Elmont,” Dell’Olio admitted. “The next tier is Kennedy, Carey and Long Beach. The three of us are fighting for the fourth playoff spot. We need to start winning.” 

Dell’Olio said the key to turning his team’s recent woes around hinges on playing a full 32 minutes of basketball and not just the opening half. “We’ve been playing two or two-and-a-half quarters,” Dell’Olio acknowledged. “We have to play four quarters of basketball, and we have to be able to shoot the ball well. If we can improve our shooting percentage and play all four quarters, we’re a pretty good team. It all comes down to Sam Milazzo, Victoria Ferry, Kerri Baum, and Heather Hulkower. If those four players pass well, shoot well and pick up the energy for the entire team, we’re a much better team.”

Milazzo (three points) and Hulkower (eight), the standout forwards on Kennedy’s roster, were overpowered in the paint by the Green Dragons’ tall, hulking defenders, which led to close to a dozen Westbury points from second-chance opportunities. Green Dragons guard Kailin Mitchell notched 10 of her 19 in the first half to propel Westbury to a 23-8 lead at the half, and her third trey of the game at the midway point of the third quarter opened the advantage to 19.

Lady Cougars guard Kerri Baum notched two three-pointers in the fourth, and Paige Nourich tallied four of her five in the final four minutes of regulation, but 37-29 was the closest they would get in the final stanza.

Kennedy is back in action this Friday when it travels to Elmont for a 5 p.m. start.