Lynbrook wins conference opener

Posted

After winning four of seven non-league games, Lynbrook opened the Nassau Conference A-IV schedule on a positive note with a 54-25 victory over visiting Valley Stream North on Jan. 6.

Sophomore Kerrin Montgomery scored in double figures for the sixth time in seven games, netting a game-high 14 points to lead an offense that’s routinely had eight players in the scoring column. Junior point guard Kacie Curran added eight points and six assists, freshman Sophia LoCicero had seven points and six steals, and sophomores Erin Bond and Rachel Valentino chipped in six apiece.

“We’re playing really well,” Lady Owls first-year head coach Steve LoCicero said. “If we don’t get as many fast-break points or if we don’t shoot well, that’s when we get in a little bit of trouble. But I’ve been really happy with our shot selection. The girls aren’t afraid to make mistakes. That’s part of the game. They’re playing in the moment and without fear.”

Lynbrook (5-3) got off to its best start since the second game of the season when it poured in 21 points against Jericho. The Lady Owls led 18-6 after the first quarter and never looked back. North was led by Lisa LoSchiavo’s nine points. “We’re pushing the ball with pace and shooting within 10 seconds in the majority of our possessions,” LoCicero said. “We’ve got an athletic group and a lot of different players who can get the ball up the floor. It doesn’t matter who has it [the ball], as long as they’re in charge.”

Curran, senior Ciara Gordon (12 rebounds against North), and junior Amanda Digiorgio often get the wheels in motion, and Montgomery, the team’s tallest player at 6-foot-2, can also dribble out of the zone if outlet lanes are blocked. 

“Kerrin has been given the freedom to not be just a block player, and she’s responded very well to it,” LoCicero said of Montgomery, who averaged 12.6 points over the first eight games. “She’s starting to find her complete game. She’s quick, fast and really knows the game. I even want her to start shooting threes.”

Lynbrook hasn’t needed treys to be successful, though Digiorgio and LoCicero can be dangerous from the perimeter. The Lady Owls hit one trey—by LoCicero—against North and none in a 56-38 non-league victory over Calhoun during the holiday break on Dec. 27. Instead they made good on 14 free throws and got double-digit points from Mongomery (15), LoCicero (11), Digiorgio (10) and Gordon (10.)

The coach described Gordon as “the team’s heartbeat,” and noted Curran is playing at “an extremely high level.” Gordon scored a season-high 20 in a non-league loss to East Rockaway on Jan. 3 as part of the annual Friendship Games between the schools.

“Overall, each game we’ve gotten better,” coach LoCicero said. “We’re getting contributions from everyone in the first quarter of most games, and we’ve been substituting in pairs.”

The Lady Owls are back in action this Friday when Roosevelt visits for a 7:15 p.m. tipoff.