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Island girls fall just short with a great effort

BEVERLEA WALZ PHOTO | Kenna McCarthy on the break at home against Pierson Thursday, as Coach Peter Midema watches from the sidelines.
BEVERLEA WALZ PHOTO | Kenna McCarthy on the break at home against Pierson Thursday, as Coach Peter Miedema watches from the sidelines.

At the end of the January 15 Pierson-Shelter Island girls’ varsity basketball game, the scoreboard read 42-39 in the Whalers favor. But Coach Pete Miedema was happy.

“That was the effort we’ve been working toward all season,” Mr. Miedema said.  I couldn’t ask anything more from the team. They gave me everything they had.”

Although the Island girls got out to a quick 4-0 start, the first two quarters of the game were very close, with no team ahead by more than 3 points after the first three minutes. The game was physical, with both teams unafraid to go to the floor to scramble for loose balls. Francesa and Melissa Frasco were scrappy on defense, while sister Nicolette chipped in a bucket in the early going. Colibri Lopez made her presence known by pulling down 3 rebounds.

Margaret Michalak (17) and Kenna McCarthy (14) combined for 31 of the team’s 39 points, with six of McCarthy’s coming in back-to-back 3 pointers in the second quarter.  Michalak also grabbed 8 rebounds, Amira Lawrence jumped high for 7 boards and McCarthy gaterhed in 6.

The third quarter was a rough one, with Pierson going on a 13-0 unanswered streak to pull ahead 33-24. “In the third period we looked like we were running out of gas,” admitted Coach Miedema, something not entirely unexpected because the Island plays primarily with a seven-person rotation. Pierson, meanwhile, had 17 players to choose from.

However, the fourth quarter was a whole new ball game, with the teams playing fairly evenly during the first four minutes. The Blue and Gray started implementing some of their new offensive plays with good results and point guard Serina Kaasik ended the game with 5 assists.

BEVERLEA WALZ PHOTO | Last minute strategy huddle.
BEVERLEA WALZ PHOTO | Last minute strategy huddle.

Lawrence shook off a rolled ankle to play excellent defense, doing a great job filling the lane after the Whalers’ offense got past the first defender. With 3:45 to go, the home team was down by 12, but a Kaasik rebound and quick outlet pass allowed Michalak to streak down the court and start the comeback. The crowd, led by the cheer team, responded enthusiastically and the race was on.

Lawrence scored 4 points, and all came in the last minute of the game as the Islanders pulled within a point at 39-40.  However, a couple of Pierson free throws put them up by 3 with 9.2 seconds to go. A last-ditch McCarthy 3-point attempt fell short, but there were smiles all around during the post-game handshake.

The Shelter Island team is young, with no seniors on the roster. It is their first year back at the varsity level.The speed of the game is significantly faster, demanding more sophisticated offense and smarter, more aggressive defense. The team stands at 2-6 on the season, with six league games remaining.

Coach Miedema was optimistic.  “The girls were able to see the results of true effort,” he said. “Hustle, defense, offense — it all came together today.”

He expects the squad will continue to improve and, with a focus on effort and hustle, plans to put more ticks in that winning column.