Elmont nips Seaford in semifinals

Top-seeded Elmont was in a rare predicament early in last Saturday’s Nassau Class A girls’ basketball semifinal at LIU Post after No. 4 Seaford came out flying and scored eight of the first 10 points, forcing Lady Spartans head coach Tom Magno to burn a quick timeout.

“I just wanted to get them to settle down and play,” he said. “You never know how kids are going to react in a different setting.”

With junior guard Zhaneia Thybulle leading the way, Elmont battled back several times in the first half and led throughout the second half on the way to a hard-fought 56-47 victory. Thybulle scored a game-high 24 points and junior center Kem Nwabudu added 11 points and 11 rebounds as the Lady Spartans (21-1) earned a return trip to the county finals where they’ll face second-seeded North Shore this Saturday at 11 a.m. at Hofstra.

“It seemed like whenever we needed a big shot, Zhaneia made it,” Magno said. “There were a couple of times in the second half it was a one-possession game and she kept us in front. She’s a great player who makes great decisions.”

Junior Jaclyn Grzelaszyk scored 18 points to pace the youthful Lady Vikings (18-3), who showed no signs of stage fright and got within 46-45 on her final basket midway through the fourth quarter. Seniors Kaitlyn Meyer and Ally Palermo added eight and seven points, respectively.

“It was a great effort,” Seaford head coach Bob Vachris said. “We went back and forth with one of the best teams around. We just couldn’t score in the last three minutes.”

The win was Elmont’s 59th in its last 63 games dating back to the 2014-15 campaign, but the outcome was in doubt most of the night. Vachris said his defensive game plan focused around Nwabudu, who totaled 34 points and 23 rebounds in the first two playoff rounds. Meyer and junior Jenna Siler combined to hold Nwabudu scoreless in the first half, but Thybulle and classmate Jada Fernandez carried the Lady Spartans to a slim 28-27 lead.

“We’ve been here before and we had to keep pushing,” said Nwabudu, who had seven points in the third quarter and a field goal and a couple of free throws late in the fourth.

Elmont led by as many as five in the third quarter, however, Seaford worked through struggles from the foul line (1-for-8) to stay within striking distance thanks to offensive contributions from all five starters. The Lady Spartans took a 44-41 lead into the fourth despite a buzzer-beater by Grzelaszyk and played their best defense when it mattered most. “They were tough to prepare for because they’re pretty balanced,” Magno said. “We didn’t try pressing too much. We just tried to play smart defense.”

Turning the tide from the opening quarter, Elmont closed the game on a 10-2 run. Fernandez and sophomore Gigi Faison finished with nine points apiece as the Lady Spartans punched their ticket to the county title game for a second straight season.