Lady Falcons swoop over .500

VSS wins third straight

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There have been some epic moments on the basketball court over the past three seasons at Valley Stream South High, however it’s the boys program, which won two of the past three county titles, that’s been in the spotlight.

After watching their male counterparts swoop up some well-deserved accolades, the girls program is beginning to make a little noise, and appears to be one that is one the rise.

The Lady Falcons earned their third consecutive victory when they knocked off visiting West Hempstead, 43-28, on Jan. 19. Sophomore Chibugo Obichere scored 19 points and pulled down 13 rebounds to lead the way. Junior Kelyse Land added 11 points for the Lady Falcons, who improved to 7-6 (4-3 in Conference A-IV.)

South used its strengths, full-court pressure defense and scoring in transition, to race out to a 25-11 lead at the half, and the Lady Falcons never looked back. Eighth-grade point guard Hailey Roberts scored six points and dished out seven assists. West Hempstead got 11 points from freshman guard Jenna Eivasi in a losing effort.

South head coach Mike O’Brien knew his team needed to control the pace of the game to be successful. “We’re not at the point where we can get a lot of offense going in the half court,” O’Brien said. “The half court is a struggle for us. We’re not a perimeter team. Pressuring them and forcing turnovers generated offense for us. We defend pretty well, and like to get up and down the court. Right now, that’s what is working.”

After earning All-Classification honors as a freshman, Obichere has shown no signs of a sophomore jinx. She is averaging 15 points per game, and had a career-high 29 in a 48-42 win when South welcomed in Bellmore Kennedy back in December. Obichere, who is ferocious on the glass, also pulled down 19 rebounds.

The sky is the limit for Obichere. “Chibugo just continues to get better,” O’Brien said. “She’s an extraordinary athlete, but she’s still learning a lot of the aspects of the game. Her quickness and athleticism are remarkable. She’s a solid defender and basically owns the backboard. She leads the team in both scoring and rebounds.”

O’Brien is quick to praise the effort he receives from junior Caitlyn Lopeck. While her 6.6 points per game average may not garner a lot of attention, Lopeck has drawn a dozen charges and is relentless on the defensive end of the court.

With nearly all of his team back next season, O’Brien is excited about the present and future. “We’ve got a real tough stretch coming up against the league’s top teams, but we’d really like to make the playoffs,” O’Brien said. “We’re getting there. We still need to improve on the fundamentals, but we’re a lot better than we were when the season started. We’re on the right track.”

The Lady Falcons will host Island Trees on Tuesday, Jan. 31 at 7:30 p.m.