In the win over Roosevelt, sophomore Kayla Cleare scored six points in her varsity debut as the Rams pulled out the victory despite struggling mightily from the free-throw line. West Hempstead hit just 9 of 27 foul shots. Jackie Tartaglia added six points. Hard-working Taylor Friermuth’s toughness was one of the keys in the win.

Van Kovics hopes his team will continue to get it done on defense, and the offense will improve. “We’ve done a good job at holding teams down, and shutting down the opponent’s top scorer, but we need to find more scoring,” Van Kovics said. “I believe if we limit the opponent’s opportunities, and get a little more consistent on offense, we could have a good second half of the season.”

West Hempstead is back home Jan. 18 when Clarke visits for a 6:30 p.m. start.