Thursday, February 6, 2025
Coming off a shocking run to win the Long Island Class AA championship last winter, East Meadow girls' basketball is still attacking the floor with plucky determination and fearless shooting. After an 0-3 start, the Jets are now 10-6 and well on their way to another playoff berth.
"We're not afraid to incorporate shooting into our offense," head coach Pete Olenik said. "I give them free rein. I let them shoot. If they have an open shot, take the open shot. It's a product of our offense and having good outside shooters."
East Meadow's slow start was the result of a tough non-conference schedule, which included games against Cold Spring Harbor and Lynbrook. Both teams are now 15-2. Since allowing 60 points in each of their first three games, the Jets have only allowed three such scores from opponents since.
The Jets' offense fires at opponents in waves, and guard Allie Twible is invariably the first over the wall. Earlier this season, Twible became the third East Meadow girls' basketball player to reach 1,000 career points. One of just two seniors on the roster, Olenik described her as an unshakable leader.
"She's our glue right now," Olenik said. "Where she goes, we go."
Twible is the star of an expansive cast. Junior guard Kayla Lederer is an exceptional scorer and has proven even more impactful on defense, relentlessly hounding opponents from the very start of their possessions. Meanwhile, sophomore guard Angelina Cronin is the Jets' boldest shooter, making 34 shots from beyond the arc so far.
Cronin is one of three sophomores in East Meadow's starting five, along with Lila Doyle and Emily Zaradich. Both have made gradual progress competing at the varsity level. Doyle has already had a few big games, including 12 points in a crucial victory over Division on Dec. 30.
Several times this season, opponents have simply run out of defenders trying to answer all of East Meadow's threats. On Jan. 16, MacArthur keyed in on Twible and Cronin, holding the Jets to 25 points through three quarters. It was a valiant effort, but the Generals caved in the fourth when junior Kate Barnett came off the bench and drained four three-pointers. East Meadow outscored MacArthur 22-7 in those final eight minutes and won 47-38.
Taking down MacArthur made up for a previous loss, but there are larger whales out there for East Meadow. Within the conference, Baldwin is the constant, daunting presence.
"They're a team I definitely put an asterisk next to on the schedule," Olenik said. "They're good, and if you want to get better, you have to play better teams. Every time we play them, we try to get a little bit better."
The 13-1 Bruins, a heavy favorite in Nassau Class AA, already beat East Meadow, 82-47, Jan. 13. They will play one another again at the end of the regular season, and the Jets will likely have to deal with them at some point in the playoffs if they make another deep run.
