Long Beach nips Mepham in OT

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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.

Kassap and senior Kaia Cheung (six points) scored on consecutive possessions to cut the margin to 38-36. After the teams traded free throws, Long Beach freshman Keira Bauer tied it at 39 with a left-handed layup with 33.7 seconds to go.
The Lady Pirates had a shot-clock violation on the ensuing possession and saw their offensive struggles carry into OT. Senior center Lorrie Dellacroce, who fouled out with 1:43 remaining in the fourth quarter, led them with nine points. Sophomore Riley Clark added eight and Rawlinson chipped in seven. It was their first loss since a 42-37 defeat at Long Beach on Dec. 18.
“We were on a nice little win streak but if we don’t come to play, anyone can beat us,” Mepham head coach Jim Mulvey said. “There are areas we haven’t improved on since November. The good thing is we still control our own destiny. We can still win the conference.”
Both teams are chasing Great Neck South, which sits at 7-1. Mepham handed South its only conference loss.
Long Beach had its poorest game of the season against South on Jan. 18, falling by 26, but didn’t harp on it. “We need one more win to clinch playoffs,” Ciccone said. “To beat Mepham twice is a big accomplishment. They’re well-coached and always have a strong team.”