Elmont nipped by South Side

Despite squandering a 13-point, second-half lead, South Side still had enough gas in the tank to get past host Elmont in a Conference ABC-I girls’ basketball game on Dec. 22, 56-52.

Junior Christina Merrifield’s putback with 48 seconds left proved the winning basket for the Lady Cyclones, who improved to 3-2 overall and 2-1 in conference play. Junior Megan Lonergan (14 points), senior Colleen Burke  (12), sophomore Caitlin Wallace (11) and junior Lauren Lopresti (10) all scored in double figures to lead the team’s top offensive performance of the season. Seniors Reauna Dorner (14) and Jasmine Cobbs combined for 27 points for Elmont (2-3, 0-2).

“I thought our size started to take over around the middle part of the game,” said South Side coach Kendall Richards, who has nine players 5 feet 8 or taller. “We missed some easy shots that kept them in it, but they’re a good team and when it came down to crunch time we found a way.”

Elmont raced to an 18-13 lead after one quarter thanks to strong shooting from the perimeter. Dorner, senior Theresa Jones and sophomore Bria Fisher each sank a three-pointer, and Fisher scored eight of her 10 points in the first eight minutes.

“Their guards are quick and scrappy and can shoot,” Richards said. “It took us a little while to match their tempo.”

The Lady Cyclones joined the three-point parade in the second quarter and not only erased their five-point deficit but built a 31-25 halftime lead. After Fisher and Burke traded baskets, Wallace came off the bench and provided instant offense. She was on the floor less than a minute when she drained her first of two treys, and her standard field goal with 2:29 left in the half gave South Side its first lead at 23-22. Burke also hit from long range in the quarter. “Caitlin’s a confident shooter and today she gave us exactly what we needed,” Richards said of Wallace, who added another trey in the fourth quarter.

South Side scored nine of the first 11 points of the second half to open a 40-27 lead. After a timeout by Elmont coach Tom Magno, the Lady Spartans responded and used a 9-2 run to get within six by the end of the third quarter.

“We were teetering on the brink of getting blown out,” Magno said. “I was happy with the effort. We turned up the defense and hit some shots. It came down to a couple of possessions late in the game and they came through.”

Down by nine with 3:10 remaining, Dorner hit two free throws to spark Elmont’s late surge. Cobbs then scored five straight points and had a steal that led to junior Alex Clark’s tying basket with 61 seconds left. But Merrifield, who scored 25 points in a win over Wantagh in the previous game, was in the right place at the right time and banked home the rebound of a missed shot to win it.

The teams meet again at South Side on Jan. 22.