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Overcast Defending champs look for consistency
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After a 51-36 home loss to Roosevelt, Malverne is 1-2 in Conference ABC-I and 3-4 overall.
While coach Lisa Gress is very optimistic, she knows the Lady Mules have quite a ways to go if they plan on repeating as county champions. “We need to be more consistent, especially on the offensive end,” Gress said. “It’s a tough conference, a challenge every night, but we can play with each team in the league.”
As they did a season ago, the Lady Mules perform in the top conference in the county competing against all Class A schools. The non-league schedule included games with Long Island Lutheran, Seaford, Calhoun, and Valley Stream Central. The latter two games were played in the Freeport Lady Devils Holiday Tournament.
In the opener against Lutheran, the Lady Mules got 20 points from junior Brianna Cunningham, but fell to the Lady Crusaders 64-50. After a loss to Seaford, Malverne opened conference action with a heartbreaking 54-53 loss to New Hyde Park. Senior guard Brittany Jenkins scored 30 points to lead the Lady Mules, who were playing without senior forward Alisha Steele. Both Steele and Jenkins have surpassed the 1,000-point mark during their careers.
The Lady Mules finally got into the win column with a 58-49 road victory over Garden City. Jenkins, who is playing her sixth year on varsity, scored 18 points, had four steals and five assists. Cunningham scored 15 points and grabbed 10 boards. Janelle Rivera added eight points and six rebounds.
Malverne picked up two victories in the Freeport tournament. In a 61-41 win over Valley Stream Central, Steele dropped in 17 points and pulled down nine rebounds, while Jenkins had 12 points, seven assists and seven steals. Cunningham added 18 points. Jenkins, Steele and Cunningham combined for 31 points in the 51-24 victory over Manhasset.
Malverne was knocked off by eventual tournament champion Calhoun in the semifinal round, 52-41, despite 19 points from Jenkins.
Despite the inconsistency, Gress has a lot of confidence in her team. “We have a lot of seniors and they work very hard,” she said. “This is the last chance for the seniors, so they have a sense of urgency. The girls want to get off the island and go upstate. We’re focused on taking it another step.”
Malverne travel to New Hyde Park for a rematch with the Lady Gladiators on Saturday at 10:30 a.m.
To view over 200 photos of Malverne’s girls’ basketball game against Garden City visit
Newsphoto.com/?liherald
Comments about this story? TBellissimo@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 204.
While coach Lisa Gress is very optimistic, she knows the Lady Mules have quite a ways to go if they plan on repeating as county champions. “We need to be more consistent, especially on the offensive end,” Gress said. “It’s a tough conference, a challenge every night, but we can play with each team in the league.”
As they did a season ago, the Lady Mules perform in the top conference in the county competing against all Class A schools. The non-league schedule included games with Long Island Lutheran, Seaford, Calhoun, and Valley Stream Central. The latter two games were played in the Freeport Lady Devils Holiday Tournament.
In the opener against Lutheran, the Lady Mules got 20 points from junior Brianna Cunningham, but fell to the Lady Crusaders 64-50. After a loss to Seaford, Malverne opened conference action with a heartbreaking 54-53 loss to New Hyde Park. Senior guard Brittany Jenkins scored 30 points to lead the Lady Mules, who were playing without senior forward Alisha Steele. Both Steele and Jenkins have surpassed the 1,000-point mark during their careers.
The Lady Mules finally got into the win column with a 58-49 road victory over Garden City. Jenkins, who is playing her sixth year on varsity, scored 18 points, had four steals and five assists. Cunningham scored 15 points and grabbed 10 boards. Janelle Rivera added eight points and six rebounds.
Malverne was knocked off by eventual tournament champion Calhoun in the semifinal round, 52-41, despite 19 points from Jenkins.
Despite the inconsistency, Gress has a lot of confidence in her team. “We have a lot of seniors and they work very hard,” she said. “This is the last chance for the seniors, so they have a sense of urgency. The girls want to get off the island and go upstate. We’re focused on taking it another step.”
Malverne travel to New Hyde Park for a rematch with the Lady Gladiators on Saturday at 10:30 a.m.
To view over 200 photos of Malverne’s girls’ basketball game against Garden City visit
Newsphoto.com/?liherald
Comments about this story? TBellissimo@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 204.
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