Long Beach missed 22 free throws last Saturday afternoon, including 10 in a row during crunch time, and lost starting point guard Jasmine Soriano to a scary injury but still managed to win its Conference A1 girls’ basketball matchup at Mepham, 41-39, in overtime, on of all things a pair of trips to the foul line by junior Lainie Kassap.
Kassap, who scored a game-high 18 points, went 1-for-2 with 1:35 remaining in OT and 1-for-2 again with 19 seconds left to provide the only points of the four-minute extra session as the Lady Marines completed a season sweep of the Lady Pirates. Both teams are 6-2 in conference play.
“Free throws have been a problem lately and I can’t believe we still won by going 4 of 26,” Long Beach head coach Kristin Ciccone said. “The girls stepped up and played such great team defense. We all have mixed emotions because Jasmine got hurt and could miss the rest of the season.”
Mepham, which failed to score in overtime, held a 36-30 lead with 5:34 left in regulation when Soriano, who had seven points and five steals, was injured at midcourt opposite the benches. She hit her head on the bleachers after vying for a loose ball and was taken to a local hospital by ambulance. “Jasmine means so much to us,” said Ciccone, who feared Soriano suffered a concussion. “She’s our catalyst and runs the show.”
Play resumed after a 25-minute delay and the Lady Marines rallied around their absent teammate. A basket by junior Julia Rawlinson gave Mepham a 38-32 lead with under four minutes remaining, but the visitors scored seven of the last eight points in regulation to force OT.