Fast start for Lady Spartans

A busy and successful opening month has Valley Stream North well prepared for a challenging Nassau Conference A-IV girls’ basketball schedule, which calls for three straight road assignments to start.

“We’re happy with what we’ve accomplished so far,” Lady Spartans coach Geoff O’Connell said after a 47-34 non-league loss at Elmont on Dec. 30. “We’re where we wanted to be going into the conference games.”

Elmont, a perennial playoff participant and Class AA contender, got a game-high 15 points from Alexandra Clark. Junior guard Madeline Nelson had 13 points to pace North (4-2), which saw its four-game winning streak end. 

“Facing a team of Elmont’s caliber, especially on the road, is good for us,” O’Connell said. “I think we’ll benefit from this game as much as any we’ve played so far.”

It was the sixth time in as many games the team leading at halftime went on to victory. Nelson, who was coming off a 28-point effort in a 52-41 win at Lawrence, scored in double figures for the sixth time as well. The fourth-year varsity performer has 15 three-pointers on the season and continues to benefit from the experience gained by point guard Elyse Zappia.

“We’ll still use Madeline to bring the ball up the floor when Elyse isn’t on the court,” said O’Connell, “but we’re at our best when they’re both out there and the ball is in Elyse’s hands. She has stepped into the role very nicely.”

Zappia has shown the ability to score as well. She had a career-high 15 points to go along with four assists in a 43-37 win at Carey. A dozen of her points came from beyond the three-point stripe, and Nelson chipped in 15 points with a pair of treys.

In the frontcourt, the Lady Spartans rely on the work of senior center Uzoamaka Aniagba and senior forward Jillian Sarro on the glass. They’re averaging 7.5 and 5.5 rebounds, respectively, while senior forward Michelle Nevarez is helping lead a defensive effort that limited the first six opponents to an average of 40 points per game.

“It’s a battle underneath every game,” O’Connell said. 

Aniagba ripped down nine boards and added seven points in the team’s main feel-good victory so far, a 51-41 decision over rival Valley Stream South. Nelson (18 points), Zappia (eight) and Nevarez (six) combined for seven three-pointers.

Beyond the starting five, depth is a big reason why O’Connell expects the Lady Spartans to give conference foes Roosevelt, Island Trees, Clarke, Mineola and Seaford a run for their money. Sophomores Dana Morgante and Alexis Contreras are usually the first two players off the bench.

“Anyone I’ve called upon has contributed,” he said. “I think the minutes everyone played in non-league games will be important moving forward.”

The Conference A-IV campaign begins Friday with a trip to Roosevelt for an 8 p.m. tipoff.