West Hempstead improves to 9-7

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The results on the basketball court at West Hempstead High over the past few years were nothing to write home about. Wins were few and far between, and there were too many occasions where the Rams just weren’t very competitive.

But, it’s a new day and the girls have turned things around. With last Friday’s 54-37 victory over visiting Friends Academy, the Rams improved to 9-7 overall, 4-5 in Nassau Conference A-IV. Junior forward Ja’nya Flash scored a season-high 19 points and sophomore guard Jenna Eivazi added 17 to lead the charge.

West Hempstead, which outscored the Lady Quakers 23-1 from the free throw line, led the game from start to finish. Sophomore forward Korrina Plair-Johnson added nine points. Friends Academy, which is still looking for its first victory, got 13 points from junior Zeina Ashmawy.

The Rams were playing their third straight game without sophomore point guard Haley Duran who was injured during a 40-35 victory over Valley Stream South. The Rams are a different team with Duran is out of the lineup.

“When we don’t have Haley running the team, our offense just doesn’t function the same way,” West Hempstead head coach Chris Van Kovics said. “She does a good job at attacking the basket and finding open teammates, and helps us get the ball up the floor against the press. When she’s out of the lineup, we have to change too many things around.”

When the Rams are at their best, Eivazi is spotting up to shoot threes from the wings, and Flash is getting it done in the paint. With Duran on the sideline, Eivazi takes over the task of running the point, and the 6-foot Flash, who handles the ball well for a forward, has to play a different role. 

Flash, who has scored in double figures in 14 of the team’s 16 games, is leading the team with an average of 13.6 per game. Eivazi has knocked down twice as many three-point baskets than any of her teammates. She has an average of 13.2 points per contest.

One of team’s strengths has been its prowess on the boards. Flash has consistently recorded double-doubles, and Plair-Johnson, junior Attellah Innis and sophomore Kate Shanley have also been strong on the glass.

West Hempstead, which doesn’t have a junior varsity squad, will not qualify for the Class A playoffs this season, but with every player returning in 2018-2019, the program certainly appears to be on the right track. 

“We don’t have a senior on the roster, so we’re still a relatively young team,” Van Kovics said. “Look, we’re better than we were a year ago and we have more confidence than we had in the past few seasons. We’re coming along. The effort isn’t an issue, we just need to get more consistent. I’m hoping that next year we will have a junior varsity team. It makes a big difference when you have girls gaining experience at the right level.”