Lady Lions Fall to Rival Central Islip, 55-46

Early in the first quarter, all the cards were in place for a blowout by Central Islip, as they took a quick 11-0 lead over the Lady Lions, Friday night.

West Islip then charged back, finally sinking its first points of the night six minutes into the game, finishing the quarter with an 8-0 run.  Unfortunately for the Lions, they weren’t able to continue their torrid pace over the remaining three quarters.

The Lions (0-3, 4-3) fell to League II rivals the Lady Musketeers (2-1, 5-2), 55-46 at West Islip High School.

“Early foul trouble,” Lions head coach Chris Scharf pointed towards as an area that hurt his team. “I think they shot something like 20 more free throws than us.”

It wasn’t quite 20, but the difference in shots from the line was substantial.

The Musketeers took 17 trips to the line, 11 more than the Lions’ six visits.

“We couldn’t get out of it,” Scharf said. “We fought through foul trouble all game.”

Although the Lions spread their fouls out across Central Islip’s lineup, no one was on the receiving end more than junior Janiece Jenkins.  She made eight stops to the line, shooting 10-for-18, helping her tie the team-lead with 16 point on the night.

Jenkins, who leads the team with 113 points, was right on pace with her 16-points-per-game average, but unlike most nights, she didn’t get most of her scores from the floor.

“We played alright, but we could have played better,” Jenkins said.

Although she believes it could have been better, she still took down 20 boards, which now gives her 97 on the season.

Part of what Jenkins was speaking of, could be attributed to the Lions' press.

The Musketeers allowed the Lions back in the game several times by taking quick, ill-advised shots from outside, which West Islip was able to convert on, inching them closer to knotting the score.

The Lions, who were relentless on the transition, were not able to get a continuous attack, however.

“We played good defense, made them turn the ball over; we couldn’t sustain it,” Scharf said. “We could only do it in spurts.”

One thing the Lions were able to get continuous results from was the outstanding play of leading scorer Chelsea Weir.

Weir dropped 20 points on the Musketeers, boosting her total up to 97 for the year.

“I can’t say enough about her,” Scharf said of Weir’s effort. “She’s just done a phenomenal job, she’s averaging something like 20 points a game.”

West Islip will jump back on the court in League II action when they travel to Connetquot (1-1, 4-2), Tuesday, Jan. 11 at 6:00 p.m..