Malverne falls in semifinals

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Alexis Lake could only carry Malverne so far.

The junior forward scored the Lady Mules’ first 16 points and they led Oyster Bay by as many as seven in the first half of last Saturday’s Nassau Class B girls’ basketball semifinal playoff game at SUNY Old Westbury before the momentum turned. 

The third-seeded Lady Baymen scored 11 of the final 12 points of the second quarter to lead by three at halftime and never looked back on the way to a convincing 56-35 victory. Junior Gianna Gotti poured in a game-high 29 points, senior Catherine Kelly added nine, and freshman Elizabeth Reilly chipped in eight as Oyster Bay avenged a pair of regular-season defeats to Malverne and advanced to face Carle Place for the Class B title. Lake (20), senior Keyeria Dawson (9) and junior Diana Jean (6) were the only scorers for the No. 2 Lady Mules. 

“We talked a lot about how difficult it is to beat a team three times,” Malverne head coach Lorenzo Jenkins said. “We wanted another shot at Carle Place, but we knew today would be tough. We started off pretty good, but then we just folded. It’s disappointing.”

Oyster Bay, which finished 2-12 in Conference ABC and dropped 57-48 and 53-50 decisions to the Lady Mules, keyed on containing Dawson and Lake, head coach Sandy Rossen said. “Lake scored 30 against us the first time and we practiced all week preparing for what she does,” he said. “She still had a big first half, but we managed to hold her to one point in the second half. 

“Dawson lit us up in the second game, but we were better prepared today after simulating her in practice,” Rossen added. “Even though we were in a 3-2 zone, we defended Dawson almost like a man-to-man. We used Gotti in the middle and Kelly and Treble [Gabriela] on the wings, and they all did a great job.”

Lake was unstoppable in the first 10 minutes, however, and Malverne led 20-13 with 6:07 left in the second quarter despite Jean, who enjoyed a late-season surge, on the bench with three fouls. Reilly jump-started Oyster Bay’s rally with a long trey from the top of the key and it surged to a 24-21 halftime lead. Senior Savannah Augustine and Treble sandwiched baskets around a Lake free throw, and Gotti scored the final four points of the half.

The Lady Baymen picked up where they left off after halftime and when the dust settled at the end of the third quarter on Reilly’s buzzer-beater, they led by 18 after a 31-6 run.

“We couldn’t get into our offense and they shot the ball really well,” Jenkins said. “It’s that time of the season when you’re one and done. We ask a lot of our small crew and they worked hard, but it just wasn’t our day.”

Malverne finished 7-13 overall, including 5-9 in conference games. Lake averaged 14.5 points, Dawson 13.7, and Jean 9.8.