Daler Girls Basketball Defeats Syosset Braves, 39-36

Though the weather outside continues to be dreary, last-minute action heated up the gym Tuesday night, as the Daler girls basketball team took on the Syosset Braves.

Down 2 points at 34-36 with a 33 seconds left on the clock, the Dalers tied the game on a put-back shot by Kelly McPartland. They went on to win the game courtesy of a late steal, runaway lay-up, plus foul shot by Alexis Panariello, ending the game at 39-36. The win ties the Dalers (10-1, 5-1) for the best record in the conference, along with Massapequa. The Braves (3-4, 4-6) lose for the second time in a row, and must shake off this painful loss quickly, before taking on Uniondale later this week.

Farmingdale overcame an early 5-0 deficit on a 9-0 run of their own in the 1st quarter capped off by a Panariello basket at the 3:00 mark. Kelly McPartland also shot a dramatic 3-pointer to end the quarter for the Dalers, 14-9.

For Syosset, Lauren Maturo had several blocked shots in the 2nd quarter, helping the Braves to mount their first lead of the game at 17-16 with 2:05 remaining. Panariello ended the quarter with a basket to keep the Dalers ahead, 21-18.

Little scoring took place in the 3rd quarter. The only highlight coming early on with a 3-pointer by Daler Nadine Hadnagy at the 7:15 mark. Both teams managed just 9 points total.

Both teams saved the best for last, increasing the speed of the game as the quarter wore on.  Syosset’s Katelyn Lesse hit a three to tie the game at 26-26 with 7:00 left. But the Dalers would outscore them 13-10 the rest of the way, with the crucial 3-point play at the end making the difference.

Heroes: Player-Of-The-Game kudos goes to Alexis Panariello, who, along with the play of the game, had 7 total points, and was tough on defense, as well. Kelly McPartland gets game honors for her rebounding and end-of-game scoring, and she led Farmingdale with 12 points. Honorable mention goes to Katelyn Lesse, who led the Braves with 11 points and 3 3-pointers.

Quotes: Dalers Girls Coach Peter Cerrone was proud.  “Any time you can escape with a win, you know you’ve done a good job. [Syosset] executed their plan very well. Defensively we did a great job. Offensively, I thought we were kinda out of sync,” he said.  On the end of the game: “Ultimately, it came down to great defensive play. It was a great offensive rebound by Kelly to tie it, and the Alexis stealing the ball and making a three point play of it.” Coach sums it up:  “We live and die by defense, and I guess that’s what happened today.”

Syosset Coach Doug Schumacher said the issue wasn't shooting.  “We played fairly well. We had some big shots. But we didn’t get a rebound late when we needed one," he said. On the failed last possession that could have tied the game: “I should have called a time out two passes earlier.”

Bottom Line: The Dalers were looking to make a move in Conference AA-1, and looked tonight like they know how to finish a game. We may be looking at the team to beat in this year’s playoffs.

Key Stat: The Dalers had only 4 scorers, while Syosset had 8 players account for their 36 points - an oddly interesting stat.

Who’s Next: Syosset vs. Uniondale, Jan. 21 at 6:15 p.m. Farmingdale at Massapequa, Jan. 21 7 p.m.