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By Joseph Staszewski
Brooklyn Daily
ALBANY – A season-long problem with closing out games again reared its head for Nazareth in its final contest of the season.
The Lady Kingsmen girls basketball team couldn’t put away Long Island Lutheran despite being up six points early in the fourth quarter. Nazareth settled for jumpers, went scoreless over the final six minutes, and fell 44–36 in the state Federation Class A semifinals at the Times Union Center in Albany Friday morning.
“The end of this game was typical of our season, giving the game away and not closing out at the end, the last two or three minutes,” Lady Kingsmen coach Ron Kelley said.
Lutheran sophomore point guard Lauren “Boogie” Brozoski scored 10 of her 19 points in the fourth quarter, including consecutive 3-pointers that tied the score at 36–36 with 2:30 left in the game. Her feed to Kaela Hilaire put the Crusaders up for good 30 seconds later to help her team close the game on a 14–0 run.
Nazareth (16–11) didn’t lead until early in the fourth quarter. The Lady Kingsmen used an 8-0 run sparked by Jen Fay, and better interior defense by Yazmine Belk, to grab a 36–40 advantage with 6:09 remaining in the game. But Nazareth would not score again before the buzzer.
The Lady Kingsmen has a chance to go back up five with 2:50 left but freshman Shalix Hines missed a transition layup. Fay scored 11 points and Shiclasia Brown added 10 points for Nazareth. Kelley wanted to see more from his juniors who were in Albany the last two years playing for a ‘AA’ title.
“I expect them to carry this team,” he said. “I expect them to get those freshmen through the tough times. It’s a learning experience, but it shouldn’t be.”
The loss ends a year Kelley called “tumultuous.” It was his first as a head coach after the death of former headman Apache Paschall from a heart attack last year. Indeed, this season the Nazareth team saw its best player, Bianca Cuevas, suspended for fighting in late February, Kelley recovering from skin cancer, and assistant coach Lauren Best giving birth to a baby boy early in the year. The players never jelled and the team was up and down all season.
“[I’m] disappointed,” Kelley said. “I’m disappointed with the behavior. It’s a disappointing year.”
Reach reporter Joseph Staszewski at jstaszewski@cnglocal.com. Follow him on twitter @cng_staszewski.