By TONY BELLISSIMO
The Lady Eagles and Lady Chiefs will battle Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at Freeport, with a trip to Saturday's title game at Hofstra on the line. Syosset and Elmont meet in the other semifinal.
Central knocked off Long Beach in Monday's quarterfinal at Memorial JHS, 60-41. Junior Danielle Castelli scored 14 of her team-high 19 points in the first half, as the Lady Eagles held a one-point lead. In the second half, junior Lisa Longo hit for 15 of her 17 points and senior Kerri Kelty scored nine of her 11 points as Central (16-1 overall) outscored the Lady Marines 38-20.
"They did a nice job defending our guards most of the game, and they ran a solid inside-outside half-court offense," Central coach Denise Schatz said of No. 11 Long Beach, which was led by senior guard Tiera Smalls' 20 points. "They gave us a run for our money until they got in serious foul trouble late in the third quarter."
The Lady Eagles made 23 trips to the foul line and cashed in on 17. The officiating was inconsistent. Few fouls were called in an aggressive first half that ended with Central leading 22-21.
"I told the girls at the half they needed to focus on what they needed to do," Schatz said. "We had no control over the way the game was being called. The officials were letting both teams play."
The lack of whistles helped Central's defense contain Long Beach's Helen Schellhorn, who was held to nine points and nine rebounds. Senior Kerry Sass led the effort against the senior center.
"We knew stopping Schellhorn was one of the keys," Schatz said.
While Castelli showed the way in the first 16 minutes, fellow guards Longo and Kelty turned it up a notch down the stretch. It was too much for the visitors to handle.
"I'm pleased with how everything has blended together," Schatz said. "We're getting good balance between the guards and front-court players."
Castelli had 18 points in the playoff opener to lead Central past No. 14 Carey, 51-35. Kelty chipped in with 15 points and five assists.
Now comes Massapequa, which eliminated Farmingdale in the quarters, 70-37, and Mepham in the first round, 65-40.
"We can't have any mental lapses and we can't afford too many turnovers," Schatz said. "Massapequa's an excellent team and we need to play a solid 32 minutes."
