Long Beach splits first four

With three straight losses to start the Conference AA-III girls’ basketball campaign, Kennedy couldn’t afford to dig a deeper hole and played with a sense of urgency last Friday at Long Beach.

Led by Allie Keller and Morgan Kitton, the Lady Cougars shot the lights out in the first quarter to build a 13-point cushion and never looked back in a convincing 58-24 victory. Keller had a game-high 20 points and six rebounds and Kitton added 12 points and 14 rebounds. Eight Lady Marines scored, but none had more than five points.

“They came out on fire and we couldn’t keep up,” said Long Beach coach Lori DeVivio, whose team slipped to 2-2 in conference play and 2-5 overall. “This game doesn’t change our outlook,” she added. “We’re still in the thick of things and hoping to get a playoff spot.”

Keller sank her first of eight field goals—a three-pointer—on the opening possession to set the tone for Kennedy (1-3, 3-4), which scored the game’s first eight points and never trailed. She had eight points in a 19-6 opening quarter. Keller’s day was over after she added seven third-quarter points to increase the lead to 27. Carly Thea finished with nine points and six assists, and Kerri Baum chipped in six points.

“We’ve been looking for a breakout game,” Kennedy coach Debbie Cipolla-Minafo said. “We had a tough start to the conference season and this is a big one for our confidence. I thought we played well in all areas.”

One positive DeVivio was able to take from the lopsided loss was the way Long Beach passed the ball. “We moved the ball well, which we hadn’t done for a few games, and we got some good looks at the basket,” she said.

Sophomore Molly Martin and freshman Liz Rourke had five points apiece to pace the offense in its season-low performance. The Lady Marines scored 24 points in the second half of their previous game—a 52-41 loss at Calhoun on Jan. 4. “I think nerves got the best of us in the first half at Calhoun,” said DeVivio, who has only one senior—Rae Geogopoulos—on the roster. “We turned it on in the second half, but we dug too deep a hole.”

Martin (13 points), junior Brigitte Gilbert (12) and freshman point guard Mary McDonagh (10) all scored in double figures. The Lady Colts got a game-high 17 points from Meghan O’Sullivan.

Long Beach won its first two conference games in gritty fashion. It took a 41-39 decision in the opener at Carey behind junior Caitlin O’Connell’s 16 points, and held off visiting Great Neck South, 45-40, with Martin hitting for 16.  

“I’m happy with what we’ve done so far,” DeVivio said. “We’re a young team, and we’re going to battle every night.” 

Next up for the Lady Marines is a trip to Valley Stream Central on Friday for a 6:30 p.m. tipoff.