By:Tony Bellissimo
The Lady Spartans cut the deficit to 9 heading into the fourth quarter and opened the final stanza with a 10-2 run that brought them to within 50-49. Senior Christine Daley, one of Elmont's four All-County players, nailed a 3-pointer to cap the spurt and put the Lady Tigers on the ropes.
But Northport-s Kaylie Schiavetta still had a lot left in her tank. After an Ali Fourney free throw, Schiavetta hit a layup to make it 53-49. Elmont had the margin back to a single basket, 59-57, with 1:10 left, but Schiavetta, who had a game-high 28 points, sealed the 64-58 Lady Tigers- victory from the foul line.
I was waiting all night for us to make a run, and we did, Elmont coach Gregg Petrocelli said. We got hot when we needed to and cut it to 1. But they responded a little and we didn-t score for a few possessions.
Unless you win a state championship, the season ends on a loss at some point. It was a tough one to lose because the girls worked so hard. I-m sorry to see the season end.
Daley and junior All-County selection Dana Brown had 14 points apiece to pace the offense for Elmont, which finished 19-3 overall. Sophomore Kaitlin Grant came off the bench to add 11.
Their top two kids really stepped up and had great games, Petrocelli said, referring to Schiavetta and Fourney (20 points, 14 rebounds). We didn-t get back well defensively, and they took advantage of it.
The Lady Spartans- defensive pressure was probably the biggest reason why they rolled through Nassau to claim their second county title in four seasons. With junior All-County point guard Alex Williams and junior All-Conference forward Betsy Bordes sparking a suffocating press, opponents turned the ball over often. But not Northport.
We spent a lot of practice time working on their press, Lady Tigers coach Rich Castellano said. We had our starters go up against 10 other girls to simulate Elmont-s press as best we could. I think it helped.
It also helped the Suffolk champs that Williams, a key to Elmont-s defense and offense, fouled out in crunch time after scoring eight points and dishing out eight assists.
The thing that cheers me up most, Petrocelli said, is this is a junior-heavy team and most of the girls will be back.
SIDEBAR:
Big 'D' propelled the run
By Tony Bellissimo
Elmont-s road to the Long Island Class AA championship game went through Nassau Conference II and playoff opponents Uniondale, Massapequa and Freeport, none of which came within single digits of the Lady Spartans.
After capping a perfect conference season with a convincing 81-50 victory over second-place Mepham Feb. 10, Elmont earned a first-round bye for the county tournament. We had a lot of confidence heading into the playoffs, Coach Gregg Petrocelli said.
Not that the Lady Spartans had to state their case any further, but their wipeout of Mepham in the regular-season finale served as the perfect springboard. They didn-t want to share the Conference II title and played like it, racing to a 31-15 lead after the first quarter and stretching it to 49-23 by halftime.
In addition to holding Lady Pirates standout Randi Bender to 12 points on three field goals and six free throws, Elmont had three players score in double figures. Senior Christine Daley hit for 26, while juniors Alex Williams and Dana Brown chipped in with 11.
Then it was on to the playoff quarterfinals against Uniondale, an overtime winner in the first round against Port Washington. The Lady Spartans flexed their muscle and showed their depth in a 70-44 romp. Six players scored at least eight points, and Williams was the high scorer with 12, to go along with 11 assists and six steals.
Next up was a much ballyhooed meeting with Massapequa in the semis. It was all Elmont from start to finish, and when the smoke cleared the Lady Spartans had left the Lady Chiefs in the dust. The final score was 75-57, with Williams (17), Brown (16), freshman Kirsten Jeter (12), Daley (11) and junior Shezaray Rozzell (10) all scoring in double digits.
Any one of the four teams that reached the semis could have won it, said Petrocelli, who guided Elmont to a Nassau Class A title in 2000-01. Beating Massapequa was big, but we knew we had one more hurdle.
That came in the form of upset-minded Freeport, a surprising winner over top-seeded Farmingdale in the other semifinal. Though the Lady Red Devils- Anna McLane dominated inside with 16 points and 32 rebounds, Elmont-s defense -- again -- proved too much. In a game that wasn-t decided until the final minutes, the Lady Spartans forced 38 turnovers and won by 10, 47-37, despite behind held under 50 points for just the second time in 21 games.
Defense is what sparked us all season, Petrocelli said.
