The second-seeded North Shore Lady Vikings defeated the third-seeded Sewanhaka Lady Indians 70-65 in the Nassau Class A Semifinals on Saturday evening at LIU Post, led by Gabrielle Zaffiro’s double double. Zaffiro posted 19 points, 11 rebounds and five assists while Jessica Scuderi added 13 points, four rebounds and three assists for North Shore.
Destiny Hurt and Cherish Francis led Sewanhaka with 19 and 18 points respectively, while Carly Bolivar added 11.
Sewanhaka head coach Alex Soupios said the girls did all they could to hold off Zaffiro, but their late rally wasn’t enough to advance to the finals.
“They are a very well-coached team,” Soupios said. “You’re dealing with a player who is the Nassau County leading scorer. I thought we did a decent job on frustrating her a little bit, but the other players stepped up and hit a couple of big shots.”
North Shore outscored Sewanhaka 19-13 in the first quarter.
Zaffiro led North Shore with nine points. She hit three baskets and added a shot from outside the paint.
Hurt led Sewanhaka with four points, in which she went 2-2 on the line and sank a shot from the interior.
North Shore outplayed Sewanhaka 13-9 in the second quarter and took a 10 point lead into halftime.
Zaffiro and Ashleigh Sheerin led North Shore with four points each in the second quarter.
Zaffiro led North Shore in the first half with 13 points while Sheerin had eight.
Francis led Sewanhaka with five points in the second quarter, as she went 3-6 on the line and tacked on a field goal.
Francis and Hurt led Sewanhaka in the first half with seven and six points respectively.
North Shore outscored Sewanhaka 19-13 in the third and led 51-35 heading into the final quarter.
Scuderi and Selena Fortich led North Shore with five points apiece.
Scuderi went 2-2 on the line and sank a shot from three point range, while Fortich hit one from inside and one from outside the paint.
Hurt led Sewanhaka with five points in the third quarter. She went 1-2 on the line and added a couple of baskets.
In the fourth quarter, Sewanhaka’s offense went to work as they outscored North Shore 30-19.
However, North Shore was able to halt Sewanhaka’s late rally and preserve the win 70-65.
Scuderi and Fortich paced North Shore’s attack as they combined for 10 points in the fourth quarter.
Scuderi shot from both inside and outside the paint and totaled 10 points in the second half. She finished the game with 13 points.
Fortich went 1-3 on the line and added a couple of baskets. She finished the second half with 10 points and compiled a double double with 12 points, 10 rebounds and two assists.
For Sewanhaka, Hurt, Francis and Bolivar led the way as they combined for 24 points in the final quarter.
Hurt recorded 13 points in the second half while Francis finished with 11 and Bolivar had nine.
Soupios said he was very proud of the effort the girls put together after the tough loss.
“They showed some heart out there, especially in the second half and I’m very proud of them,” Soupios said. “We needed another 90 seconds. We got to the final four with one senior and I’m excited for the future.”
Weekly Girls Basketball Scores
Monday, Feb. 20
St. Mary’s defeated St. Dominic’s 67-31. Kadaja Bailey led St. Mary’s with 18 points and eight rebounds. Victoria Sacramone posted 13 points while Naja Fenelon and Dajiah Martin each scored 10 points.
Tuesday, Feb. 21
Freeport defeated Port Washington 40-35. Maya Thomas led fourth seeded Freeport with 15 points, 14 rebounds, and eight assists, over fifth seeded Port Washington in the Nassau Class AA quarterfinals.
Thomas also went 6-for-6 from the foul line in the last 1:30 of the game to secure the win. Taylor Abraham added 15 points and 10 rebounds for Freeport while Rachel Rosen and Tyler Owens led Port Washington with 16 and seven points respectively.
Wednesday, Feb. 22
Sewanhaka defeated Mepham 65-55. Destiny Hurt and Carly Bolivar combined for 46 points to lead third seeded Sewanhaka over sixth seed Mepham in the Nassau Class A quarterfinals.
Friday, Feb. 24
St Mary’s defeated Kellenberg 67-44. Kadaja Bailey and Dajiah Martin led St. Mary’s as they combined for 40 points.
