On Saturday, Feb. 22, as temperatures rose to well above freezing for the first time in weeks and the melting snow created a thick fog, the Oyster Bay High School Varsity Lady Baymen Basketball Team showed up at Long Island University ready to play.
In the semi-final round played the week before, Oyster Bay defeated East Rockaway by a margin of 24 points. While pumped up and confident, the girls did not take their final round opponents lightly.The Frogs of Carle Place have always played tough against the Lady Baymen. The two teams met twice in the regular season in games that were decided by just two points. Although the Lady Baymen won those games, earning them the first seed, they knew that they were going to have to bring their best game to the court for the championship.
Just like the weather outside, the Lady Baymen warmed up early and continued to bring the heat all day. Thanks to the patient and steady hand of sophomore Christina Testa sinking four out of five three-pointers in the from the perimeter and the strong play under the boards by eighth-grader Gianna Gotti, along with a near perfect performance by the entire team, the Lady Baymen jumped out to an early lead and never looked back. At the final buzzer, the Lady Baymen had a 16-point lead, sealing a 65-49 victory and earning them championship plaques.
Testa, scoring 20 points in the finals and nine points in the semis, was honored as the All-Tournament player. Gotti was singled out as the game’s MVP for her complete performance with 15 points, 15 rebounds, four steals and four assists.
The third highest scorer in the game was sophomore Faith Smith with 10 points. The MVP is an eighth-grader and rounding out the top three scorers are sophomores.
These players could not have excelled in this way without the selfless team spirited play of the veteran players; senior co-captains Hannah Kaiser and Caroline Kelly, along with seniors Jacqueline Romeo and Nikia Gardon held the Carle Place starters in check and allowed the underclassmen to shine.
The Lady Baymen, coached by Sandy Rossen with assistant coaches Brian Soper and Mary Lepore, can feel very good about the future of Lady Baymen Basketball for years to come. They are enjoying the County Championship, but are not resting as they prepare for the Nassau County Small School Championship Game pitting the Class “B” champs against the Class “C” champs.
Oyster Bay faced Friends Academy on Saturday, March 1, then went off to the Regional Semi-Finals at St. Joseph’s College on Tuesday, March 4, where The Lady Baymen of Oyster Bay High School took on the Lady Baymen of Hampton Bays High School.
Updates on these games to come.
