By Andrew McClure
Senior forward Brittany Fuller scored 14 of her game high 23 points in the first half as the Lady Rocks shook off some early rust and routed the Lady Quakers. The Rocks, who hadn't played in two weeks, started slow and actually trailed 6-0 before getting on the scoreboard. However, led by Fuller's six points, East Rockaway closed out the opening quarter on an 11-0 run and Friends could sense that their bid for an upset was not to be.
While the offense wasn't particularly strong, Meridith Levison, Jackie Marinazzo and Courtney Harris provided a spark with defensive tenacity enabling the Lady Rocks to force a multitude of turnovers. East Rockaway, 15-4, outscored Friends 32-9 after the inauspicious start and went into the locker room at the half with a commanding 17-point lead.
The third quarter was more of the same as the Lady Rocks opened the half with a 12-2 run to go up 44-17 with just over two minutes remaining in the quarter. At that point, Coach Karin Leary cleared her bench and gave the starters the rest of the afternoon off. Levison had nine points for East Rockaway, while starting center Kelli Hughes, who returned to action after missing nearly a month with an ankle injury, added eight. Friends Academy finished the season at 4-15.
Next up for East Rockaway will be a battle for Nassau County small school supremacy; the Class B/C Championship Game against Cold Spring Harbor, which will take place at Hofstra University this Saturday at 2 p.m. This contest has no bearing on the state tournament and will merely serve as a tune up for the Long Island Class C Championship Game against The Stony Brook School, a private boarding school located in Suffolk County, scheduled to be played at Center Moriches High School, March 7 at 6 p.m.
