Lady Cyclones Roll in 42-17 Win Over Bethpage

For the second straight game, the  defense held its opponent , dominating from whistle to whistle en route to an easy 42-17 victory over Bethpage at home on Friday.

The Golden Eagles, who converted just one field goal in the entire first half, were no match for the Lady Cyclones size in the paint and its speedy guards.

South Side coach Katie Dunn said she was pleased with her squad’s defense, which held Bethpage to a paltry 4-50 (eight percent) shooting night.

“We played very well on defense today, they didn’t really have an answer for our 3-2 zone and it was very effective,” she said. “We clogged the middle, and they couldn’t get good penetration on us, and when they shot threes, our guards were there to challenge the shots.”

Tom Gargiulo, the Golden Eagles coach and Dunn’s mentor, was very impressed with what he saw out of his protégé’s team.

“They have a very good defense, they did a nice job," he said. "Anytime you make a team miss 46 field goals you did well on defense. Their guards are quick and they’ve got size inside and they rebound very well.  Her team should win the league and I think could make it to the final four.”

Once again, , cruising to an overwhelming 45-15 rebounding advantage, with Christina Merrifield, Bridget Kiernan, Lauren Lopresti, Megan Lonergan, Maggie McGowan and Allison Glass each grabbing at least five, while no single player on Bethpage had more than three.

“We do a lot of boxing out in practice, so I think that helps a lot,” Dunn said. “We try not to allow any second shots, and it helps that we have so much height.”

Unlike in past games, South Side had no trouble putting away the Golden Eagles, scoring more points in each quarter as it progressed, and turning an 18-4 halftime lead into a 42-17 final, courtesy of the Lady Cyclones bench.

Glass had six points and an assist to go with her eight boards, and Kiernan added five of her own off the bench to give South Side a boost in the later quarters while the starters rested. 

Dunn was impressed with what she saw from her bench and the way her team closed out the win.“I’m very proud of the bench, they were fiery on defense and moved the ball well,” she said. “When they were doubling the bigs, they did a good job of kicking it out and finding a shot.”

With the Lady Cyclones now  7-0 and holding a two-game advantage over rival Lynbrook, they find themselves in the driver's seat for what could be a very memorable first season for Dunn and the team.

“The kids are really gelling out there now, we’re rolling,” she said. “I think they’re starting to buy in that this could be a very special team and a very special year.”