68.0°,
Overcast Small steps for Lady Bulldogs
Posted
Hewlett's Allie Venditti drives around Valley Stream North's Alexis Contreras during the Lady Bulldogs' Conference ABC-III loss.
Janette Pellegrini/Herald
A new coach and a new system will take some getting used to for Hewlett, which dropped its second straight Conference ABC-IV girls’ basketball game and third overall out of the gate, 61-36, to Valley Stream North in its last action before the holiday break.
The Lady Spartans got 21 points from senior guard Elizabeth Miller and 17 points from senior center Jacqueline Canny in winning for the fifth time in six games. Junior Sam Rodriguez paced the Lady Bulldogs with eight points.
“We’re getting better, that’s the main thing,” Hewlett first-year coach Tommy Johnson said. “I think the girls were fairly happy with their performance because they accomplished some things they didn’t do in the first two games. We moved the ball well and hit more shots.”
North outscored Hewlett in each of the last three quarters after the hosts jumped out to a 9-8 lead after eight minutes. Miller scored 10 points to lead a 23-9 second-quarter run and added seven points in the third when the Lady Spartans extended their 13-point halftime lead to 22. Sophomore Madeline Nelson chipped in seven points and junior Michelle Nevarez added six. The Lady Bulldogs, who had 10 players score, got five points from senior Makisa Francis and four apiece from seniors Funmi Akinnawonu and Anna Obed
It wasn’t too long ago when North was trying to find its way under a new coach, but last season it captured the first conference title in program history. “I’ve sensed a carryover from last season,” said coach Kathy Gray, in her fourth season at the helm. “We’re still young with only two seniors but we brought back a lot. Our six new players are developing and some of them are stepping up.”
Rodriguez, freshman Gabby Casanova and senior Rebecca Larris stepped up their perimeter games for Hewlett in the second half and knocked down shots from behind the arc. All told, the team has six treys on the young season.
“There’s a lot of competition at the guard spot and we’re taking it day by day,” Johnson said. “Right now I’m just waiting to see who emerges.”
Akinnawonu, a veteran forward, has been setting the tone in practice according to the coach and is an extension of Johnson on the court. “Her work ethic is tremendous,” Johnson said of Akinnawonu, who had a team-leading eight points in losses to Carey in non-league and to Mineola in the conference opener.
After a trip to Sewanhaka to start the week, the Lady Bulldogs return home on Friday to face Valley Stream South at 7:30 p.m. They won’t be back home thereafter until Jan. 20 when Mineola visits.
Hewlett boys: 4-1 in non-league
A challenging non-league schedule didn’t stop Hewlett’s boys’ basketball team from frequenting the win column. The Bulldogs beat Valley Stream Central, Lynbrook, Malverne and Wantagh before suffering their first loss of the season at Jericho. Senior Michael Eckerle averaged 17 points and senior Roey Shmuel scored in double figures in all but one game.
Report an inappropriate comment
Comments