South Side reaches a dozen wins

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Down at least one starter all season and two starters for a portion, South Side persevered a roller coaster ride and enters the Nassau Class A girls’ basketball playoffs on the upswing.
The Cyclones, winners of four of their last five regular-season games, finished 7-5 in Conference A-III thanks to a 61-44 victory over Valley Stream North last Friday evening. Senior Bridget Basile’s 13 points and sophomore Kyla Murphy’s 12 paced a scoresheet that ran a dozen deep.
“It was an up and down regular season that ended with a lot of positives,” head coach Dan Ferrick said. “We had a nice comeback win against Hewlett and led Manhasset at halftime. I think if we’re at the top of our game and play and full 32 minutes, we can be right there with anyone.”
Despite the strong finish, South Side (12-5 overall) finished fourth in A-III behind Manhasset, Division and Hewlett. The Cyclones earned the No. 13 playoff seed and will visit fourth-seeded Floral Park in the Round of 16 this Saturday.
“If we go in there with the right mindset and play well, it’ll be a great game,” Ferrick said of the matchup.

A silver lining to not having its projected starting lineup, Ferrick noted, was some underclassmen received additional court time. Two of those, Murphy and freshman center Charlotte Rathjen, became essential pieces of the puzzle. Murphy has averaged 12 points per game since conference play began, while Rathjen, already a three-sport varsity athlete, has chipped in about 7 points and 5 rebounds per outing.
“Kyla’s in line for an individual award,” Ferrick said of the versatile Murphy, who scored a career-high 25 points at Hewlett Feb. 5 to help the Cyclones rally for a 60-54 win. “She can handle, shoot and rebound,” he said.
Rathjen emerged while senior Ava Doreste recovered from an injury suffered diving for a loose ball Dec. 2 against Plainedge. Ferrick said Doreste, who missed 5 weeks, is the team’s best low-post defender and one of its best pure shooters. She’s averaging nearly 8 points per game.
Basile is enjoying an All-County caliber campaign, Ferrick said, averaging 14 points per game with improved passing skills. Basile had 19 points in the aforementioned win over Hewlett earlier this month. “Her game really became well-rounded,” Ferrick said.
Though Ferrick counts on everyone to push the ball up the floor following a defensive rebound, senior Emily Iacobellis is the point guard. A D-1 lacrosse talent headed to Cornell University, Iacobellis usually gets the toughest one-on-one defensive assignment, Ferrick said, and is a capable scorer as her 16-point effort in a 79-60 win over Kennedy on Jan. 27 suggests.
South Side’s only loss down the stretch came Feb. 8 at Manhasset, which won the conference title and earned the No. 1 playoff seed. The Indians trailed by a basket at halftime before pulling away for a 65-46 win. “I thought it was a good learning experience,” Ferrick said.