Lynbrook falls short of title

Last Saturday’s Nassau Class A girls’ basketball championship game was supposed to be decided by top-seeded Division’s frontcourt and No. 3 Lynbrook’s guards, just like both regular-season matchups between the Conference ABC-I rivals.

Apparently, nobody told Taylor Malings.

Division’s junior guard nailed a trio of three-pointers in the first half and spurned the Lady Dragons to a 41-31 victory before a crowd of 1,500 at C.W. Post. They led by nine points at halftime and extended the margin to an insurmountable 18 after three quarters. Malings and senior center Nicolette Parmese had 12 points apiece to lead all scorers. Senior Shannon Doody led the Lady Owls (13-8) with 10.

“They did a great job defensively,” Lynbrook coach Heather Savignano said. “I have to give them all the credit. It’s the championship—the biggest stage there is—and they really stepped it up a notch.”

The biggest key for Division (19-1) was its ability to limit the damage from Lynbrook’s starting guards, Jessy Rosen and Brooke Gerstman, who combined for 30 points in a 50-29 semifinal blowout of Garden City. Rosen, a senior, had eight points, and Gerstman, a sophomore who had a career-high 26 against the Lady Dragons on Jan. 14, scored her only two points in the opening quarter.

After Gerstman’s basket tied the game at 7, Division scored 15 of the next 18 points to build a 12-point lead midway through the second quarter. Parmese was instrumental in the run, scoring eight points and pulling down three rebounds, and juniors Kristen Stuart and Julie Ballantyne each contributed a basket. Malings’ third trey came late in the half and answered one from sophomore Shannon Baker and allowed the Lady Dragons to take a 26-17 lead into intermission.

Any hope of a comeback for the Lady Owls faded in the third quarter when their offense went cold and managed only four points—their second-lowest output in any quarter this season—and Division padded its lead with 13. Lynbrook’s improved play in the fourth closed the gap, but not nearly enough.

“The girls were excited to be here, and they came ready to play,” Savignano said. “We didn’t have such a strong game, but we had a great season and I’m really proud of everything we accomplished.”

This season marked the third in a row the Lady Owls won at least one playoff game.