Freeport riding hot streak

After a memorable season that came to an end with a loss to eventual Class AA state champion Baldwin, Freeport girls’ basketball head coach Meredith Jones expected a slow start in 2017-18. The Lady Devils were replacing their starting point guard Maya Thomas and would need some time to jell.

Growing pains and a difficult December schedule led to a 1-5 start to the campaign, but Freeport has turned things around. The Lady Devils recently carried out a streak that saw them win seven of eight games, including five straight in Nassau Conference AA-1.

Taylor Abraham had a double-double, scoring a career-high 28 points while pulling down 10 boards, and senior point guard Bianca Benjamin added nine assists as Freeport beat visiting Farmingdale in convincing fashion by a score of 61-44 on Jan. 17.

The victory, which avenged a 41-36 loss when the Lady Devils traveled to Farmingdale in December, capped off the five-game string that included victories over Syosset, Oceanside, Hempstead, and Uniondale. 

Freeport, which has a record of 8-7 overall and 5-3 in conference play, ran out to a 29-17 lead, saw the Lady Dalers cut the lead to three, and then turned things up a notch after Jones challenged them during a timeout and put the game out of reach early in the final quarter. 

“I feel like we’re playing pretty well now that we’ve come together as a team,” Jones said. “It’s hard to replace a point guard who had been starting for all those years, but Bianca Benjamin has really come into her own. The nice thing is that we’re not one-dimensional. It’s not one player leading the way each night. We’re getting scoring from a lot of different players.”

The Lady Devils haven’t shot the ball well, and results at the free throw line have been less than stellar, however the defense has led to numerous baskets in transition. In a 44-39 come-from-behind win over Syosset, Freeport held the Lady Braves to just one field goal in the final quarter.

Jones is quick to credit junior guard Deavion Peterson’s intensity for the team’s recent surge. Peterson, who was virtually unstoppable when she scored a career-high 29 points in a thrilling 66-62 win over Oceanside, is averaging 10.4 points per game and is Freeport’s leading threat from three-point land.

Abraham is the player that opposing teams look to contain. The 6-foot sophomore forward leads the team with a 14.7 ppg average. Abraham has been a model of consistency, scoring in double figures in all but one of the team’s 15 games. Benjamin and junior Tiona Parker have been solid on both ends of the floor.

While neither have put up gaudy numbers, the Lady Devils have received terrific contributions from a pair of forwards who complement Abraham well. Sophomore Tyler Hawkins and junior Jada Hill are fearless, athletic players who come off the bench and make things happen. 

Freeport is back in action when they face Uniondale this Sunday at Nassau Coliseum at 2 p.m.