East Rockaway holds off Malverne

The basketball season hasn’t yielded the type of results that the Malverne and East Rockaway girls’ programs were hoping for in 2012-2013, but neither team has let the disappointment get the better of them. 

The Lady Rocks came into the second meeting of the season between the two teams Feb. 6 with one league victory, while the Mules came in winless. Despite the lack of success on the court, the teams played with as much energy and passion as teams vying for a county title.

A victory for the Lady Mules will have to wait for another day, as the Lady Rocks withstood a frantic Malverne comeback bid and held on for a 37-36 win. Senior Jessica Deptulski scored 11 points to lead East Rockaway, which said goodbye to its seven seniors in pre-game ceremonies on Senior Night. Sophomore Kym Danns scored a career-high 10 points to lead the Lady Mules. 

East Rockaway head coach Karin Leary was pleased to see the seniors get the win. “They’ve been just tremendous to work with,” Leary said. “We didn’t get as many wins as we would have liked, but they never gave up. They came to practice, ready to work hard, all season long. As a coach, all you can ask for is the girls to give everything they have. I’ll miss this group.”

East Rockaway ran out to a quick 10-2 lead. Senior Kathleen Owens, a defensive specialist, was all over the place. Owens forced three turnovers, and scored four points in opening moments. The Mules were held scoreless until point guard Stephanie Gee scored at the midway point of the opening quarter.

With sophomore guard Ally Cilluffo finding open teammates, and senior forwards Jessica Cerasoli and Gianna Cilluffo controlling the boards, the Lady Rocks extended their lead to 26-11 at the break. Deptulski had eight of her 11 points in the opening half.

The second half was all Malverne. After falling behind 30-13, the Mules closed out the third quarter on a 13-3 run to get within striking distance at 33-26. Junior Richelle Cardoza had five points to help get Malverne back in the game.  

The Mules continued to control play in the final quarter, cutting the lead to 34-32 with plenty of time on the clock. East Rockaway got a little breathing room when Deptulski buried a three from the right wing at the four minute mark, but a put back by Danns got Malverne within a point at 37-36 with 1:10 to play. 

The Mules had a chance to pull out the victory, but an inbound pass intended for Danns, with just three seconds to play, was intercepted. 

Malverne head coach Mike Pelan is optimistic about the future. “We have 10 sophomores on the roster, and they get a lot of playing time,” Pelan said. “We’re young, and some of the players are pretty raw. If they continue to work hard and put in the time, they’re going to get better. They fight hard every game.”