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Overcast Consecutive wins for Lady Eagles
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Valley Stream Central’s Christine Rivera goes up for a shot during a Conference AA-III loss to Port Washington.
Jeff Wilson/Herald
After dropping seven of its first eight games against Conference AA-III rivals, Valley Stream Central’s girls’ basketball team needed just 16 hours to put together its first winning streak of the season.
The Lady Eagles defeated visiting Carey last Friday evening for their first victory since Dec. 17, then hit the road Saturday and secured a win over Long Beach before the clock struck noon.
“We’ve found a rhythm and are playing our best basketball of the season,” VSC coach Mary Parisi said. “Things have just clicked in the last three games. We’re shooting better, moving better on offense and getting points off turnovers.”
Central (3-8 in conference play) rallied in the fourth quarter to beat Long Beach, 53-43, avenging a December home loss to the Lady Marines in the process. The Lady Eagles won the fourth quarter by an 18-5 margin to stun the hosts. Sophomore Nikole Williams scored a career-high 23 points and junior Kristina Rosello added seven points and 12 rebounds. “Not everyone played together before and I think part of the slow start was because we were trying to find chemistry,” Parisi said. “The biggest difference is how well we’re moving the ball.”
Senior Sami Saad not only had her second-highest offensive output of the season against Long Beach with nine points, she also held Natasia Hurd to 12. Hurd scored 25 to lead Long Beach to a 40-37 victory in the first meeting. “Sami’s a great defender and a smart player,” Parisi said. “We’re going to miss her leadership next season.”
The previous night saw sophomore point guard Christine Rivera pace Central’s offense in a 49-41 win over Carey. Rivera scored 15 points, including six from the foul line, and Rosello and fellow junior Asantewa chipped in 12 points apiece. “Christine is doing a tremendous job controlling the offense,” Parisi said. “She can hit a shot from anywhere and she can also get to the basket and score. She’s made a lot of strides.”
Rosello and Tulloch gave the Lady Seahawks a lot of problems in the paint. Carey blew out Central in the first meeting by 27 points. “We watched a lot of tape on the first Carey game and knew we needed to do a much better job defending,” Parisi said. “The girls stepped up.”
The first signs of considerable progress, Parisi said, came in a hard-fought 50-46 loss at home to Port Washington on Jan. 20. The Lady Vikings scored the game’s final five points and went ahead for good on a Christina Leonard free throw with 1:30 remaining. Williams scored a game-high 20 and Rivera added 13.
“The goal is to start off next season like we’re ending this season,” Parisi said. “We’ll look to join a summer league and keep everyone playing together.”
The season finale for the Lady Eagles takes place on Friday at Hicksville at 7 p.m.
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