Oceanside on the right track

After back-to-back 13-win seasons, each which resulted in a playoff berth, Oceanside came into the 2016-17 basketball season looking forward to taking the next step. Despite an overall record of 3-5, the relatively young and inexperienced Lady Sailors are clearly on the right track.

With a 40-32 road victory over Uniondale on Jan. 3, the Sailors broke a three-game losing streak, evening up their record in Nassau Conference AA-1 play at 1-1. Freshman Jamie Behar scored a game-high 12 points, and senior Sabrina Seeger had 10 points and pulled down 14 rebounds to lead Oceanside. The Lady Sailors outscored Uniondale 14-6 in the fourth quarter.

Oceanside first-year head coach Joe Supple hopes playing a difficult non-league schedule will pay dividends for his team down the road. Opponents knocking off the Lady Sailors outside of conference play have a combined record of 28-6.

“We intentionally scheduled quality non-league opponents to prepare for conference play,” Supple said. “We were right there with strong teams like MacArthur, Syosset, and Seaford, and have held leads late in games, but didn’t finish the games well. As we get into the meat of the schedule, I expect us to be playing our best basketball.”

After earning All-Conference honors as an eighth-grader, Behar is averaging just under 17 points per contest as a freshman. She scored a career-high 27 points in a 60-48 home win against Long Beach, and leads the team in both scoring and assists.

“Our offense runs through Jamie, but she’s terrific at getting all of her teammates involved,” Supple said. “She scores, passes, and rebounds really well, and is now starting to develop her game in the post.” Fellow freshman Gina Contorno has been a terrific addition to the team. Contorno is averaging nine points per game.

Senior captain Samantha Stein is the backbone of the team, both on and off the court. Stein, who scored a career-high 23 points and buried a pair of free throws with just 0.6 on the clock to lead the team past Hicksville, has always been a threat from the field, but she’s added new elements to her offensive game to make her more of a dual threat.

For the Lady Sailors to be among the elite in what figures to be one of the more competitive conferences in the county, they will need to defend well and rebound. Seeger has been solid on the boards, averaging 13 rebounds a game in games that Oceanside has won.

 “We’re trying to be a team that’s real tough and proud on defense,” Supple said. “We’re improving. We need to buckle down on defense, and value the basketball more on offense. We can’t afford to turn it over as much as we have. It will be interesting to see how this conference plays out. If we continue to improve, I feel we can play with anyone in the league.”

The Lady Sailors will be on the road to face Massapequa this Friday at 7 p.m.