By TONY BELLISSIMO
After suffering through a nearly six-minute scoring drought to start the second half, senior Kelli Hughes ignited a 12-point run to give East Rockaway plenty of breathing room in a 51-33 victory.
Hughes finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds, sophomore Alli Pacheco had 12 points and junior Lauren McClure pulled down 10 boards for the Lady Rocks, who won their fifth county championship in six years and advanced to meet Stony Brook in the Long Island Class C final on March 4 at St. Joseph's College in Patchogue.
"We really wanted this championship after losing last year, and I didn't want this to be my last game," said Hughes, who scored 10 points in the second quarter to help East Rockaway build a 31-22 halftime advantage. "We struggled a little bit at times, but we play well together."
It was the 16th victory in a row for the Lady Rocks (18-1), who defeated Friends Academy twice in Conference ABC-V play by a combined 39 points. "We seem to have our moments every game," coach Karin Leary said. "It's not easy to beat anyone three times in the same season, and I knew today was going to be tougher than the first two."
East Rockaway scored the game's first eight points and never trailed, though the Quakers crept to within three early in the second quarter and trailed 31-27 after scoring the first five points of the second half. Pacheco drained a pair of three-pointers to establish the early cushion and hit another midway through the second to cap a nine-point spurt that made it 27-16. "Alli has a nice outside shot," Leary said.
But unlike the regular-season meetings, the Lady Rocks didn't maintain a large lead throughout. A sloppy third quarter saw Friends slowly but surely make a run with a basket by Lizzy Handy (11 points) and three Meredith Magiarotti (10 points) free throws. Leading only by four, Leary called Hughes' number and she delivered with a short bank shot that allowed East Rockaway to regain momentum. "Kelli's our go-to girl," Leary said. "She averages 17 points a game and there are times when we need to look her way."
Sophomore Ashley Marinazzo scored four straight points to close the third quarter and junior Monica Mielinis added six points in the fourth.
The Lady Rocks haven't lost since Dec. 5 in the final of the South Side Tournament. They'll take on Malverne or Locust Valley in the county B/C final on Saturday, March 1 at C.W. Post and use the game to prepare for Stony Brook, a convincing winner over Port Jefferson in the Suffolk Class C final on Tuesday.
Comments about this story? tbellissimo@liherald.com or (516) 569-40000 ext. 204.
