Lynbrook tops Wantagh in marquee matchup

Down a pair of starters and coming off its lone defeat following an impressive 10-game winning streak, Lynbrook overcame a sluggish start Saturday to knock off Wantagh, 47-38, in a matchup featuring two of the top Nassau Class A girls’ basketball contenders.

Junior Cate Jennings scored 6 of her game-high 14 points in the third quarter as the visiting Owls, who were missing All-County junior point guard Brooke Mazzei and senior Mackenzie Casey, broke a halftime deadlock with a 16-5 run on the way to handing the Warriors their first conference defeat.

Junior Sophia Dwyer added 10 points, while junior Jillian Festa and freshman Jessie Vuotto chipped in 7 and 6 apiece, respectively.

“It was great to see the girls rally and show resiliency,” Lynbrook first-year head coach Koren Pena said. “We had a tough second half the other night against Plainedge and they beat us. Bouncing back like this against a strong team on the road is big for everyone’s confidence.”

Both teams already have 11 wins at the midway mark. Lynbrook is coming off a 20-win campaign and played for the county championship last winter, falling to Manhasset. Wantagh, which also won its first 10 out of the gate, has more than doubled last season’s win total.

“Today we missed some shots we normally make, but we’ve been playing well,” Wantagh head coach Stan Bujacich said. “It was a playoff-like atmosphere. We’re right there and we’re looking to get a home playoff game and see how far we can go.”

The Warriors, who were led by senior Brighid Smith’s 11 points and junior Juliana Cerasi’s 10, scored the game’s first seven points and led 11-3 late in the first quarter before Lynbrook came alive.

“Losing to Plainedge really set a fire under us,” said Jennings, who opened the second quarter with a three-point play as part of an 8-0 run that tied the game. “We wanted to prove we’re a good team and that we’re a deep team.”

Junior Skylar Mondelli sank back-to-back three pointers to regain a 17-11 lead for the hosts. The Owls, however, responded by scoring 10 of the last 14 points of the half, sparked by Dwyer, Festa and freshman Sophia Sirufo, and it was tied at intermission after Wantagh senior Casey Kissinger beat the buzzer with a trey.

Lynbrook’s momentum continued in the second half, as did Wantagh’s struggles to convert layups. Vuotto scored four points and Festa three, and a defense led by Jennings and Festa kept the Warriors scoreless for the first 5:18 of the third quarter as the Owls built a 30-21 lead.

The largest lead for either team came when junior Kaitlyn Benedict, who took over some of Mazzei’s responsibilities, hit a three-pointer late in the third to make it 37-26.

Mazzei, who suffered a broken nose in a collision Dec. 30 against St. John the Baptist, is expected to return soon. Casey’s absence was only for this game.

“Brooke is a special player and it’s a big adjustment playing without her," Pena said of Mazzei, who averages 12 points per game. "I’m just so proud of how everyone has handled it.”