Clarke makes progress in defeat

After battling back from a nine-point halftime deficit to lead by a basket with less than a minute remaining in regulation time, Clarke suffered a tough 38-36 at West Hempstead last Friday evening in a back-and-forth Conference A-IV girls’ basketball game.

Jackie Christenson sank two free throws with two seconds to go to break a tie for West Hempstead, which improved to 5-2 and moved into second place behind unbeaten Seaford. She finished with a game-high 11 points, and her twin sister Nicole added 10. Clarke, which slipped to 1-5 in conference play and 2-9 overall, got 10 points apiece from juniors Jessica Gibaldi and Gabriella Martins.

“It was a tough one,” Clarke head coach Shaun Fein said. “We fought back in the second half and made some shots. We pressed a little more and got some points in transition. It’s as proud as I’ve been of the girls all season.”

Clarke, which also led West Hempstead in the fourth quarter of the first meeting before dropping a 36-31 decision at home Dec. 13, got eight points from senior Amanda Gargiulo and seven from sophomore Hannah Zirkel in the rematch.

“We played a spirited second half,” Fein said. “The girls’ effort is unquestionable.”

Clarke jumped out to a 10-5 lead after the opening quarter but hit the skids and dug a considerable hole. West Hempstead led 21-12 at halftime after scoring 16 of the game’s 18 points in the second quarter. The visitors chipped away in the third and trimmed the margin to 28-22 heading into the fourth. Clarke then surged ahead 36-34 with 30 seconds to go and had possession, but some untimely turnovers in crunch time proved costly.

“Our record may not speak for it, but we’re progressing well,” Fein explained. “We just have to stay positive. 

“You want to see the payoff,” he added. “They’re working so hard. I’m confident we’ll get some wins over the last five games.”

Fein said getting the offense in gear down the stretch is a key. Last Friday was the first time in four games the Lady Rams surpassed the 30-point mark.

Gibaldi, he said, is starting to get into gear and will see more time at shooting guard over the last five games. “We’re going to play her off the ball and get her into more of a scorer’s mentality,” he said. “Things are starting to click for her. When she realizes how good she can be, she’ll be that much tougher to stop.”

Zirkel will see more time at the point and look to distribute to Gibaldi, Gargiulo and Martins. 

“We have to find a little more scoring,” Fein said. “We’re defending really well. Our defense is keeping us in games.”

Next up is a trip to Mineola this Friday for a 6:15 p.m. start. Clarke won the first meeting with the Lady Mustangs, 38-27, behind Zirkel’s 16-point performance.