By TONY BELLISSIMO
Jen Goldfarb scored all 13 of her points in the second half and hit three three-pointers for Syosset, which remained atop the conference with a 6-0 mark. Sophomore Kristin Ciccone's 16 points led Long Beach. Seniors Helen Schellhorn and Tiera Smalls added 13 and 12, respectively.
We're in the middle of the pack right now, first-year coach Lori DeVivio said. We came into Syosset with a game plan, but we just missed a lot of open looks. It happens. We worked the ball well and did some nice things. We just didn't score as much as we needed to.
The Lady Marines have yet to win or lose two conference games in a row. They opened with a victory at Baldwin before the New Year and played well in a loss to defending Nassau Class A champion Massapequa after the holiday break. They beat struggling East Meadow, lost to talented Elmont but bounced back to take care of Plainview prior to the Syosset setback.
The losses we've had have come to the top teams and we've taken care of business against the mediocre teams, DeVivio said. Splitting the first six conference games isn't bad, but we've come to a critical part of the season.
Long Beach has upcoming home games against Uniondale, Hicksville and Freeport. A sweep would put the No. 10-seeded Lady Marines in playoff contention with four games remaining.
We don't have much of a margin for error, DeVivio said. I feel I know this team well now. We're going to look to play tougher defense and work the ball inside on offense. Once defenders converge on Helen, we'll have someone open on the outside.
Schellhorn's best game so far came in the conference opener against Baldwin when she hit for 24 points and grabbed nine rebounds in a 51-29 win. She also played a key role in the team's triumphs over Seaford and Jericho in the Seaford Tournament.
We were feeling good about ourselves going into the holiday break with a 5-0 record, DeVivio said. We knew the better teams were on the horizon and that we'd be able to get a better idea of where we stood versus top competition.
Losses to Massapequa (63-48) and Elmont (74-40) showed the Lady Marines have a little work to do if they want to make noise down the stretch. Easy wins over Plainview and East Meadow suggest they're more than capable.
Schellhorn had a solid game in last week's victory over Plainview, scoring 16 points and pulling down 14 rebounds and blocking nine shots. Ciccone finished 16 points and six assists, and sophomore Erika Baggett nine points and five blocks.
Ciccone had 19 points and six assists, senior Jackie Dugan 12 points and seven rebounds, and Smalls 11 points and 11 assists in the win over East Meadow. A big finish by Smalls would go a long way in helping Long Beach qualify for the playoffs.
