Elmont maintains high level

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For defending Long Island champion Elmont, the 2017-18 girls’ basketball season has been a continuation of what has been a brilliant run. The team has lost just five games over the past four seasons and appears set to make another deep run in the Class A playoffs.

After the team’s 59-19 road victory over New Hyde Park last Friday, the Lady Spartans improved to 13-1 overall (10-0 in Nassau Conference A1). Point guard Zhaneia Thybulle scored 19 points to lead all scorers. Forward Kem Nwabadu scored 14 points and pulled down 10 rebounds. New Hyde Park, which fell to 8-6 overall, was led by Christina Suresh.

Elmont’s only blemish thus far was a 61-58 double-overtime loss to Susquehanna Valley, the second-ranked Class B team in the state, in the championship game of the prestigious Slam Dunk Tournament at Westchester County Center in late December. The Lady Spartans have been dominant, winning games by an average margin of victory of 32 points.

Nwabadu, who has committed to play at Winthrop University, scored her 1,000th career point in a 67-42 home win over Garden City, and Thybulle, who will play college ball at UNC-Wilmington, is zeroing on reaching the milestone as well. 

Long-time head coach Tom Magno has a terrific take on the numbers the two have posted. “It’s really a testament to the entire program,” Magno said. “Both could have scored more, but our recipe for success is sharing the basketball. They look to their teammates. They both work extremely hard and are unselfish players.”

Thybulle leads the team with an average of 17.1 points per game. Nwabadu, who scored 15 points and grabbed 16 boards in a 54-37 semifinal win against The Masters School (Dobbs Ferry) at the Slam Dunk Tournament, is averaging 13.9 points per contest. 

The Lady Spartans go far deeper than their two top scorers. Senior Jada Fernandez has been the model of consistency. Fernandez is averaging 11.5 points per game, including a career-high 20 in an early season game with Ward Melville.

Junior two-guard Gigi Faison, who has seen some time at the point as well, led the way with 20 points in an 81-44 win over New Hyde Park, the first time the two teams met. Faison is averaging just under 10 points per game. Seniors Zarria Franklin and Chiamaka Ubani have been steady performers for Elmont.

Magno believes his team will be ready for the postseason. “I don’t think there’s a lot that we have to shore up,” Magno said. “When we’ve struggled, we’ve done a good job of picking up our defense and creating offense. Maybe we need to toughen up a little bit, and focus on staying disciplined. It’s going to be important to stay out of foul trouble. That’s something we’ve had a little problem with in a few games, and we’ll need to keep an eye on.”

The Lady Spartans travel to Garden City on Friday evening. Game time is 6:30 p.m.