Elmont's conference streak at 36

Immediately following the sound of the buzzer in Elmont’s loss to Floral Park in last season’s Nassau County Class A girls’ basketball title game, the Lady Spartans were anointed as the team to beat in 2016-17. With all but one player returning, enthusiasts saw little reason to doubt that Elmont would be back in the hunt for a shot at the county championship.

The Lady Spartans have met expectations. After last Friday’s 59-33 thumping of Kennedy, Elmont improved to 16-1 (10-0 in Nassau Conference A-1). Junior Jada Fernandez scored a career-high 20 points, and senior Kiera Holland added 17 as the team extended its winning streak in conference play to 36 straight.

If the Lady Spartans defeat Sewanhaka (9-1) in their league finale, they will wrap up sole possession of first place. Results of the game were not available at press time. Elmont beat the Lady Indians 52-42 when they teams first met on Jan. 13. Holland hit two big three-pointers in the final quarter to seal the outcome.

As he prepares his team for what it hopes will be another shot at its first county title since 2004, Elmont head coach Tom Magno isn’t taking anything for granted. “We feel good about our chances, but we’re going to have to play well and earn our way back,” Magno said. “There are a bunch of teams that are pretty evenly matched. We’re not looking past anyone. We have some things to work on, and we need to be healthy.”

The health of junior point guard Zhaneia Thybulle has made things tough for the Lady Spartans of late. Thybulle, who is averaging 12.6 points per game, reinjured her ankle in the team’s 48-43 loss to Archbishop Molloy. She originally suffered a sprained ankle in a victory over Jericho a week earlier. Thybulle scored 13 points and dished out 11 assists in a 57-32 win over Great Neck North.

Junior forward Kem Nwabadu has been a model of consistency for Elmont. Nwabadu, who leads the team with 12.8 points per game, had a season-high 22 points and pulled down 13 rebounds to lead the team past Briarcliff, and scored 19 and was a defensive stalwart in an early season victory over Kellenberg. 

While the team is accustomed to getting consistent numbers from Thybulle and Nwabadu, the contributions Elmont is getting from Fernandez (10 ppg), Holland (8 ppg), and Gigi Faison can not be overstated. Like Fernandez and Holland, Faison, who is averaging 8.8 points per game, always seems to rise to the occasion in big spots.

“It’s very important to have multiple players contributing as we get ready for the playoffs,” Magno said. “We’ve been working hard on our rebounding. If there’s one weakness, it’s rebounding. In the Molloy game, Kem was in foul trouble, and their size really hurt us on the boards. If we want to get back to where we were last season, we have to rebound better.”