Mepham rallies to top MacArthur

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Mepham’s struggles from the foul line throughout the first half of Monday’s Nassau Conference AA/A-III girls’ basketball showdown with visiting MacArthur was the biggest reason the Lady Pirates, who missed 9 of 15 attempts, eventually found themselves in a 12-point hole.

But along with clutch baskets by senior Maeve Testa and junior Kara Castaldo down the stretch, it was Mepham’s ability to sink free throws late in the fourth quarter (6-for-8) that helped it squeak out a 53-49 victory in a battle of conference unbeatens. Testa and Castaldo had 17 points apiece, while the Lady Generals got a game-high 21 from senior Angeline Klein.

“Coming back from 12 down against a team of MacArthur’s caliber is big,” Mepham head coach Jim Mulvey said. “They really hurt us from three-point range in the first half. All we talked about at halftime was the need to contest their outside shots.”

MacArthur (10-3 overall, 5-1 in AA/A-III) exploded for 20 points in the second quarter, with all but two coming from long range, and led by seven at halftime but was held to 18 points in the second half.

“I thought we played well,” Lady Generals head coach Dave Radtke said. “We hit some big shots in the second quarter, but we missed some layups in the second half and they out-rebounded us.

“We were in foul trouble all day and Testa always seems to find a way to hurt us,” he added. “She gave us problems last season too.”

Testa ignited Mepham’s comeback early in the third quarter after Klein scored the first five points of the second half to increase MacArthur’s lead to 36-24. Testa, who also ripped down 18 rebounds on the day, scored six of the next seven points and the Lady Pirates finally had momentum.

“Maeve had a great game all around,” Mulvey said. “She was really strong inside.”

With Klein saddled with four personal fouls, Mepham (9-4 overall, 6-0 in AA/A-III) took advantage and closed the third on a 10-3 run to knot the game at 40 heading into the fourth. “Angeline is a tremendous player,” Radtke said. “We had to go five or six minutes without her and that’s tough against a very good team like Mepham.”

Castaldo, who had 10 second-half points, opened the fourth with a trey to give the hosts their first lead since early in the second. The shot kicked off a frantic final eight minutes that saw the lead change hands several times.

MacArthur junior Mackenzie Tierney hit two clutch shots, including a go-ahead banker with 3:10 left to make it 46-45. Testa scored six of the next seven points and Mepham led 51-47 with less than a minute remaining. Klein cut the margin in half before fouling out along with junior Angela Cozza (six points), and the Lady Generals had a chance to tie but had a shot roll off the rim with 12 seconds left. Junior Kelsey Vandewater’s two free throws sealed the win for Mepham.

“I think the conference will come down to the rematch,” Radtke said of the Feb. 10 meeting.