BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Reigning CHSAA Player of the Week Giovanna Grima picked up where she left off a week ago by scoring a season-high 26 points to lead St. Joseph by-the-Sea to a 73-70 CHSAA AAA overtime win versus Xaverian on Wednesday.
“Basketball is a game of runs, and tonight we saw both sides of that,” said Sea head coach Josh Suslak, whose team improved to 8-3 overall and 3-2 in the league. “What mattered was how our kids responded. They never panicked, never pointed fingers, and never stopped competing. To come back and tie it at the end of regulation and then answer again in overtime says a lot about their character. Winning on the road is hard.”
Also contributing to the victory were double-doubles from Olivia DiMonda (14 points and 10 rebounds) and Alicia Conti (15 points and 14 rebounds).
Maria O’Connell added 10 points, including two pivotal layups late in OT to give the Vikings the lead.
Sea came back from deficits late in the fourth quarter and in OT to capture the win.
The Vikes led 37-26 at the half and 48-40 after three quarters. But the Brooklynites came storming back in the final stanza, outscoring Sea 21-13 to knot the score at 61-61.
In OT, O’Connell netted five key points as the winners outscored the host team 12-9 to pull out the win.
“I thought our players showed incredible toughness and competitiveness tonight,” said Suslak. “They got knocked down, kept believing, made big plays when it mattered, and earned this one together which I can only hope helps us continue momentum heading into crucial parts of the season.”
Plus it helped that Suslak got contributions from everyone on the roster.
“Giovanna Grima has been playing really well for us lately and she hit a lot of big shots when we needed them all night,” the head coach said. “Maria O’Connell and Olivia DiMonda both left the game for a time due to rough nose injuries but came back as soon as they could and helped make plays when it mattered the most. So proud for Maria and was great to see her make clutch baskets at the end of overtime to give us the lead for good. She handles pressure so well and her poise as a captain kept our entire team on the same page. Alicia Conti is getting better each day and I’m loving her dedication to the game and her teammates. She plays with an intensity and aggressiveness that’s such a great fit for our program. A double-double in the manner in which she did at, as a freshman on the road in that tough environment is very impressive and promising to see that as a coach.”
Casey McKinney (33) had another big game for Susan Wagner on Thursday. (Staten Island Advance/Annie DeBiase)(Staten Island Advance/Annie DeBiase)
Susan Wagner 67, New Dorp 44
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Casey McKinney poured in 28 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as the Falcons recorded the PSAL 4A Staten Island division road win Thursday night.
“Casey continues her incredible season with another huge double-double,” said SW head coach Tom Rizzo, whose team improved to 5-2 in the league. “The real difference, however, has been the emergence of our freshman point guard, Jamielyn Chin. She set the tone defensively for us and continues to put up nice numbers. It has taken some pressure off of Casey who normally draws double and triple teams. We’ll need to continually get those types of efforts from Jamie if we’re going to advance in the playoffs. As a freshman, she’s making a name for herself and becoming a star.”
Chin netted 16 points and recorded five assists, while teammate Emma Vargas added 10 points.
Carmen Soto led the Centrals, who fell to 4-4, with 15 points. Alessia Ferrante added 12.
“This was one of those games where the final score doesn’t seem to reflect the hard-fought battle between two teams,” added Rizzo. “We were fortunate to get off to a hot start but silly fouls and free throws hurt us all night. We shot poorly from the free-throw line and our fouls continually put New Dorp in the bonus with plenty of time remaining in each quarter. It’s hard to put a team away playing that way. New Dorp never quit and kept fighting back.”
McKee/Staten Island Tech 36, Lafayette 26
BROOKLYN, N.Y. — The defensive-minded Seagulls played one of their closest games of the season and prevailed on the road to improve to 9-0 in the PSAL 3A Brooklyn/Staten Island division.
“Tremendous defensive team effort,” said MSIT head coach Peter LaMarca, whose club led 18-7 at the half. Adrienne Ng’s strong defensive play contributed to the victory.
Eva Paraskevadis paced the winners with nine points and was followed by Thalia Treasure, who added eight.
JV
New Dorp 39, Susan Wagner 36
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Sandra Gorbonos netted 11 points, including five clutch free throws in the fourth quarter, as the Centrals (4-1 in the league) prevailed at home.
Leah Gunther added eight points, while Annalise D’Elia had five points and played great defense. Emily Holzer (five points and Lola Quigley (six points and great defense) contributed.
ND plays at Tottenville on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m.