By:Tony Bellissimo
"I'm pleased with our progress and thought we played hard and well against Elmont," Coach Denise Schatz said after Central fell to 4-1 in conference play and 7-2 overall. "We had a lot of new faces to start the season. It took a while for everyone to blend in, but the chemistry has been getting better by the day."
Elmont used nonstop pressure to wear down Central in a battle of two teams without a conference loss at the time. Central had three players score in double figures, led by senior Danielle Castelli's 14 points, but Elmont's 1-2 punch of Dana Brown (18 points) and Alex Williams (14 points, 11 assists, 8 steals) and its deep bench proved too much to handle. "They're playing phenomenal basketball," Schatz said. "They wore us down."
The Lady Eagles have done their share of wearing down opponents as well. They were running on all cylinders last week when they rolled over Mepham, 60-37. Castelli (18) and senior guard Lisa Longo, the co-captains, combined for 28 points, and the defense held Mepham standout Randi Bender to just 11 points.
"We missed Lisa in the previous game [a 50-49 win over Port Washington] and the girls were really fired up to play together again," Schatz said. "Everything clicked on offense and we did a great job defensively against their best player."
Central relies on tough defense and its half-court offense to be successful. Longo and junior point-guard Kelly Holmes start in the backcourt with Castelli, junior Sheila Augustin and sophomore Naomi Augustin up front. The offense, unlike last season, can come from anywhere.
"We have a nice inside-outside attack," said Schatz, referring to the perimeter shooting of Longo and Castelli and the efforts of the Augustins and junior reserve Vanessa Martinez.
Naomi Augustin scored 25 points in the victory over Port Washington and leads the Lady Eagles in scoring at 13 points per game and rebounding with six per contest. "She missed last season with a knee injury, but you'd never know it," Schatz said. "She's been a big addition."
Castelli and Longo represent the heart and soul. They both average double digits in points and five rebounds. "They're great leaders who play with intensity all the time," Schatz said.
Upcoming games at Long Beach on Thursday and at Port Washington on Friday will present a challenge.
