Playoffs still possible for Malverne

With five games remaining in the Conference BC girls’ basketball season, Malverne’s margin for error as far as reaching the playoffs is slim but the Lady Mules are more than capable of sneaking in.

“I’m figuring we have to go 4-1 and hope Wheatley slips,” coach Michael Pelan said after last Friday’s home loss to first-place Cold Spring Harbor dropped Malverne to 3-6 in conference play and 4-8 overall. “Losing a second time to Wheatley put us in a tough position because it means we have to finish ahead of them outright to make the playoffs,” he added.

The top four Class B teams in the conference advance to the postseason, which begins in two weeks, and the Lady Mules are in fifth. “All but one or two games have come down to the fourth quarter,” Pelan said. “We’re right there with just about everyone. We pass the ball well, we’ve improved our turnover ratio from last year, and we’re getting good looks. But our shooting hasn’t been consistent enough.”

Senior forward Amanda Masson, who is averaging 15.5 points and 11.3 rebounds per game, has been the team’s most consistent scorer and rebounder, Pelan said. She scored in double digits in seven of the last nine contests and poured in 16 points on three occasions this season. “Amanda’s a tough matchup for anyone in the conference,” he said. “She handles the ball like a guard and can score from the outside as well as inside.”

Depending on the game, Malverne has had a second scorer to go with Masson. Freshman guard Alexis Lopez has reached double figures in half the games, including a team-high 11 in a 37-29 defeat at Wheatley Jan. 20, and is “capable of scoring 15” on any given day, Pelan said. “Alexis is developing into becoming more of a driver,” he said. “She’s our best free throw shooter so we want her to get to the line as much as possible.”

Six of Lopez’s eight points in a 46-34 loss at Carle Place Jan. 18 came from the charity stripe. Malverne trailed by 15 at halftime but made things interesting in the second half. Masson (11), senior Karen Ulysse (nine) and Lopez combined for all but six of the Lady Mules’ points. “Carle Place is a team that blew us out last season, but we’ve closed the gap,” Pelan said. “We dug a hole but got out of it and were within six in the second half.”

In Malverne’s latest win, 43-35 over East Rockaway Jan. 13, it rallied from a 13-3 deficit early in the second quarter to get the job done. Ulysse led the offense with 14 points, while senior TionTaye Noel led a huge effort on the glass with 23 rebounds. Masson added 15 boards, and Lopez sank a clutch trey with three minutes left to put the Lady Mules ahead by six.

A trip to Friends Academy is on tap for Friday at 6:15 p.m.