VSC at .500 after tough loss

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Leading visiting Hicksville by 12 points entering the fourth quarter of its Jan. 13 matchup had Valley Stream Central in excellent position to end its win-one, lose-one trend against Nassau Conference AA-II girls’ basketball rivals. However, everything that could’ve gone wrong in the last eight minutes did for the Lady Eagles.

Natece Willis scored 10 of her 16 points in the fourth quarter, including two baskets in the final minute, to lead Hicksville to a 39-34 come-from-behind victory. Central, which scored only four points in the fourth, got 15 points from senior Naomi Bolasingh and eight from senior Jasmine Garden.

“We had an opportunity to win and let it out of our grasp,” VSC coach Malyssa Thorngren said. “We played really well defensively for three quarters. We kept their big girl in check most of the night, but we hit a wall in the fourth. We have to learn how to close out games.”

The Lady Eagles, who completed the first half of the AA-II schedule with a record of 3-3, outscored the Lady Comets by a 14-4 margin in the third quarter to break a halftime deadlock. In the fourth, Hicksville scored one fewer point—19—than it did over the first 24 minutes and the hosts couldn’t find the basket.

“Naomi rarely goes cold, but when she does and nobody else is scoring, it’s tough,” Thorngren said. “The girls are working hard and we’ve shown toughness and flashes at times. We maybe struggle for five minutes in every game and then pull ourselves together.”

Garden (two) and fellow seniors Rachelle Saint-Preux and I’Nyaah Burrell all hit three-pointers to help Central build a double-digit lead it failed to protect for a second straight game. Only on Jan. 10, after leading East Meadow by as many as 12 in the second half, the Lady Eagles re-rallied from a one-point deficit to pull out a 53-52 victory.

Bolasingh tied her season-high with 27 points, the last of which came from the free throw line with 10 seconds remaining to win it. She had eight field goals, a pair of treys, and five foul shots. Sophomore Bella Gandesegui had 12 points, and freshman Raven Pitt added seven. “Everyone looks for Naomi in crunch time,” Thorngren said. “She’s definitely our go-to player, but we need others touching the ball and being a threat. We don’t want teams to double and triple Naomi.”

Central’s most balanced effort of the season, Thorngren said, was a 49-43 overtime win over Oceanside. Bolasingh had 15 points, including a long three-pointer early in OT to set the tone, but plenty of support as well. Sophomore Nicole Carter came up huge with 10 points and 13 rebounds, Saint-Preux ripped down 15 boards, and Gandesegui had seven points. “Lots of contributors is what we need to be successful,” Thorngren said.

A playoff spot remains well within the team’s grasp. “We’re in good position,” Thorngren said. “We just need to improve our consistency. It all starts in practice, and how we react to this loss is going to define us.”