Lynbrook in title game

Sophomore Brooke Gerstman scored a game-high 17 points to lead No. 3 Lynbrook to a 50-29 rout of No. 2 Garden City in a Nassau County Class A girls' basketball semifinal playoff game at Freeport High School on Tuesday night.

Coach Heather Savignano's Lady Owls will meet top-seeded Division for the championship at C.W. Post on Saturday at 2 p.m.  

Senior Jessy Rosen, who added 13 points for Lynbrook, thought preparation was a big key for the Lady Owls, who are looking for their first county title since the 1977-78 campaign. “For the past week, all we’ve done is concentrate on Garden City,” Rosen said. “We’ve been so focused on who we’ll be guarding, and how to stop them. We've been talking about how we have to eat, sleep and breathe Garden City. We just don’t want the season to end.”

Lynbrook’s defense set the tone in the opening quarter, holding Garden City scoreless for the first five minutes. The Lady Trojans averaged 67 points in winning their first two playoff games.

The Lady Owls held a 9-7 lead after the first quarter, but Barbara Sullivan knocked down a three to open the second to give the Lady Trojans a 10-9 lead. It would be the only time Lynbrook (15-5) would trail. Gerstman scored eight points in the quarter as the Lady Owls closed the half on a 17-6 run.

Despite having a 10-point lead at the half, Lynbrook was struggling on the boards. Garden City was getting multiple shots each time down the court, but couldn’t put the ball in the basket. The Lady Trojans had nine offensive rebounds in the opening half.

Neither team did much of anything in a sloppy third quarter. Garden City outscored the Lady Owls 6-5, but made just 2-of-17 shots from the field. Sophomore Shannon Baker’s three-pointer gave Lynbrook a 31-22 lead late in the third.

The Lady Owls closed the game out in dominant fashion. Rosen scored six consecutive points to open the final quarter, and Garden City never challenged.

Senior Shannon Doody (eight points, six rebounds) thought the Lady Owls were the hungrier team. “It came to down to who wanted it more,” she said. “We practiced so hard for this game, and sacrificed so much. We want to go out on a good note.”

Division beats South Side

The other Class A semifinal between Division and South Side was knotted at 41 midway through the fourth quarter before the Blue Dragons pulled away late for a 53-44 win. Division’s Nicolette Parmese led all scorers with 15 points. The fourth-seeded Lady Cyclones got 13 points apiece from Colleen Burke and Lauren Lopresti.