South Side closer to title

South Side maintained its two-game cushion atop the Nassau Conference A-II girls’ basketball standings and reached double digits in wins by taking a 47-35 decision at Plainedge last Saturday.

Senior center Megan Lonergan had 11 points and eight rebounds and sophomore guard Meghan Hines added a career-high 10 points to lead the Lady Cyclones, who improved to 8-0 in conference play and 10-3 overall.

“They hit some early threes and forced us to make a defensive adjustment,” South Side coach Kaitlyn Dunn said. “We started to get going in the second quarter and got some outside scoring of our own in the third.”

Dunn said during halftime she urged her perimeter players to shoot more, and Hines delivered along with seniors Lauren Lopresti and Brianna McNally. Hines and McNally each had a pair of threes as the Lady Cyclones extended a nine-point halftime lead to 42-25 by the end of the third quarter.

“Meghan’s gaining more confidence offensively,” Dunn said of Hines, who handles responsibilities at the point along with junior Allison Bannon (five points).

The victory brought South Side a step closer to its goal of winning a conference title, which would become a reality Friday night with a defeat of Lynbrook on the road. “Winning the conference was at the top of our team goal sheet,” Dunn said. “We can make it a reality by beating Lynbrook. Everyone knows it’s going to be a physical and intense game. It’s going to be a playoff atmosphere.”

Prior to beating Plainedge, the Lady Cyclones shut down Dunn’s alma mater, Bethpage, in a 42-17 home win Jan. 21. Senior Christina Merrifield had seven points and eight rebounds, while Lopresti, McNally and sophomore Allison Glass chipped in six points apiece. “Our defense was strong,” Dunn said. “We didn’t give them an opportunity to shoot uncontested threes. We doubled their guards in the corners.”

With North Shore the only other team in the county with an undefeated conference mark, South Side has a chance to be the No. 1 seed in the Class A playoffs if it can run the table.

“We’re getting better every practice and every game, and I like that,” Dunn said. “We’re not at a standstill. We keep moving forward.”