Thursday, October 1, 2026
Last Saturday afternoon, sophomore guard Erica Acampora sparked a third quarter run by scoring 11 of her career-high 14 points to lead the East Rockaway girls to a 63-57 victory in the annual Friendship Games.
Juniors Kim McCann and Ally Cilluffo each added 15 points as the Lady Rocks improved to 3-3, Lynbrook’s Hannah Carlson led all scorers with 16 points.
A clutch put back by sophomore Emma Nicoletti appeared to give East Rockaway breathing room, with just over a minute to go in the game, but Carlson hit a pair of threes to get Lynbrook within a point at 58-57. Free throws by Cilluffo and senior Tiffani Parente put the game away for the Lady Rocks.
The up tempo style of play that East Rockaway exhibited in the third quarter is exactly what head coach Karin Leary was looking to see. “We have to get up and down the court if we’re going to be successful,” Leary said. “We’re not effective in a half-court offense at this point, so we have score in transition. We turned the game around in the third quarter.”
East Rockaway trailed by five points in the first half, but the speed and quickness of Acampora, Gina Skelly and Rachel Putelo was too much for the Lady Owls.
Acampora likes the style the team is playing. “I feel like I can use my speed to my advantage,” she said. “When we’re playing at a fast pace, that’s when we’re going to be at our best.”
