Effort is there for Malverne

Malverne girls’ basketball coach Lorenzo Jenkins has plenty of reasons to be optimistic this season and is looking for the Lady Mules to carry over a strong fourth quarter in a recent defeat at Carle Place into the New Year.

Playing without senior point guard Keyeria Dawson and trailing Carle Place by as many as 25 points in a Conference ABC game on Dec. 23, Malverne didn’t waive the white flag. The Lady Mules scored 22 points over the final eight minutes to make the final 51-42 in favor of the Lady Frogs.

“I was pleased with the effort,” Jenkins said. “The girls played hard and made it respectable. I hate to say one player makes so much of a difference, but we’re not the same team without Keyeria running the offense. We’ll have her back for the next game and I really think we’re going to be fine.”

Malverne junior Alexis Lake finished with a game-high 17 points, while junior Diana Jean chipped in 13. Carle Place had six players score at least six points, led by Leah Burden and Giana McKeough with 10 apiece.

“I’ve coached Dawson, Lake and Jean since they were 6-7 years old,” Jenkins said. “They’re our workhorses. They’re going to be out there the entire game.”

Carle Place jumped on the Lady Mules early and led 18-4 after the opening quarter. Burden, McKeough and Abigail Selhorn all had three pointers for the hosts, who built a 32-16 halftime advantage and put the game out of reach by the end of the third.

Lake had 10 points and 10 rebounds in the opening half. Sophomore Nia Moore and seventh-grader Princia Ulysse each added six points for Malverne, which fell to 2-5 overall and 0-3 in conference action.

“We need to improve how we finish around the basket and how we finish late in games,” Jenkins said. “I think if we have a full lineup and stay out of foul trouble, we’re capable of beating anyone in the conference.”

Next up for the Lady Mules is East Rockaway, which won both meetings last season including one by a bucket. “It should be a very competitive matchup,” Jenkins said. “The girls really want this one.”

Malverne’s wins have come against non-league opponents Valley Stream Central and Hempstead. Dawson (19), Lake (14) and Jean (11) all scored in double figures in a 48-38 win over VSC, while Lake and Jean both exploded for 21 to lead an easy victory over Hempstead.

Jenkins is also pleased with the progress of the re-established JV program under the direction of coach Kevin McCombs. The JV roster consists of nine freshmen. “It’s a nice group that’s really close to each other,” Jenkins said. “I watched them all at the middle school level last season. And they got a win this year before the varsity did.”

The Lady Mules are home this Saturday against Cold Spring Harbor at 12 p.m. Next week calls for trips to Seaford (Jan. 10) and Oyster Bay (Jan. 13.)