By Marley Seaman
Locust Valley took the contest 64-56, dropping defending county champion Malverne¹s conference record to 7-4 (9-6 overall). The team is still in solid playoff position; at press time, three games remained in their regular season, and a second or third seed in the Class B playoffs seemed likely.
Brennan, a junior, showed a silky shooting touch and poured in 30 points, 18 in the second half, to lead Locust Valley to victory. Brittany Jenkins lead Malverne with 16 points, while Tatiana Lopez and Alma Britt each posted strong games with 15 points and 12 boards. But in a game that stayed close throughout, Steele¹s presence in the post could have been the difference.
Malverne held the lead for most of the first quarter, and was ahead by as many as ten points in the middle of the second quarter. But accurate shooting from Jessica Bell, Dana Marshall and Brennan quickly got the Falcons back into the game. By half-time, Malverne was up by only a point, 27-26, and the momentum had clearly swung to Locust Valley.
The third quarter provided the night¹s most dramatic action. A Marshall lay-up in its opening minute gave Falcons their first lead since the score was 8-7 at the start of the game. Britt gave Malverne the advantage again minutes later, but Brennan responded with a three-point play due to a foul on Stephanie Arias. A rebound basket by Lopez and a Jenkins hoops put Malverne in front again, 34-32. Marshall scored again off a rebound with four and a half minutes to go, and at the midpoint of the quarter, Locust Valley guard Ashley Lewis sank a three-pointer to give her team a 37-34 edge. Though Malverne would have its share of chances, the home team never regained the lead.
In the fourth quarter, the Lady Mules were undone by their free-throw shooting. They shot 4/9 for the quarter, missing the front end of several crucial one-and-ones that could have allowed them to get closer. Locust Valley finished 11 of 14 from the line in the final period, to put the game out of reach.
³Free throws killed us,² said coach Lisa Gress.
Despite the tough loss, however, Gress remained optimistic about the team¹s chances.
³We¹ll make the playoffs,² she said. ³We have a good chance. We just need everyone healthy.²
