Tough endings for Lynbrook, South Side

In a rematch of last year’s Nassau Class A girls’ basketball title game, defending champion Division used a 16-point second half run to rally past Lynbrook, 42-35, in a semifinal matchup at Freeport High School on Tuesday.

Christina Rea had eight of her 13 points as well as five steals during the pivotal third quarter to lead the top-seeded Lady Dragons, who trailed 23-21 early in the second half when Lady Owls’ freshman standout Jen Fay went down with a knee injury. Fay, who had nine points in the first half after scoring 31 in No. 5 Lynbrook’s quarterfinal win at North Shore, was unable to return. Junior Brooke Gerstman led all scorers with 16 points.

“We got rattled a little when Jen went down, but I’m so proud of the way the girls battled,” Lynbrook coach Heather Mankias said. “There was a stretch of three or four minutes where they forced a lot of turnovers and hit a bunch of shots.”

GARDEN CITY 31, SOUTH SIDE 28

In the other Class A semifinal, Katie Trimmer’s putback with 2:17 remaining in the fourth quarter lifted second-seeded Garden City to a 31-28 victory over No. 3 South Side, which rallied more than once from seven points down.

Barbara Sullivan had 14 points and Christina Mangels added 14 rebounds for the Lady Trojans, who advanced despite scoring only 10 points in the second half. Senior Megan Lonergan (seven points) led a balanced offense for the Lady Cyclones, who struggled with turnovers and on the defensive glass.

“We played hard, but we were too careless with the ball,” South Side coach Katelyn Dunn said. “We weren’t able to overcome the turnovers.”

Garden City raced to a 7-0 lead and enjoyed a six-point cushion at intermission, but the Lady Cyclones rallied and led by one after scoring the first three baskets of the fourth quarter. But the Lady Trojans scored six of the game’s final eight points.