The Carle Place Girls Varisty Basketball team has been a tough, aggressive bunch all season and that tenacity showed in their comeback win against Hampton Bays in the Long Island Championship game at LIU Post on Monday night. After being down all game, Carle Place took over in the fourth quarter to win in a nail biter 36-32. Senior guard, Sarah Pisani and junior point guard, Kacey Burden were instrumental in their team’s win.
Down 19-12 at halftime to a sharp shooting Hampton Bays squad, Pisani and her teammates strategized about what they needed to do to get back in the game.
“Playing together all year and being able to pull out a lot of games we knew we needed to drive the ball more instead of settling for outside shots,” said Pisani. “In the second half we went out and moved the ball around more and tried to drive into the open lanes.”
Junior point guard, Kacey Burden, who hit the go ahead three point shot to give the Frogs the lead in the fourth quarter, said that she and Sarah have a strong connection on the court.
“Sarah and I work well together. We just have so much confidence in each other,” said Burden. “When times get tough we know that if we pull together as a team, anything is possible.”
Times were tough for the Frogs, especially in the first half of the game when the Baymen took a 10-4 first quarter lead and a 19-12 lead into halftime.
Their sharpshooter, Alexis Fotopoulos was on fire in the second quarter, hitting shots from long distance to give the Baymen a commanding 19-11 lead as halftime neared.
“We made a commitment to get in her face and not give her easy looks in the second half,” said Pisani. “We made her press a little and as a result she got into foul trouble.”
In the fourth quarter, Fotopoulos’ shooting cooled off considerably and that is when the Frogs made their run to get back in the game.
Down 28-23 to start the fourth, Pisani got things going for her team by hitting a big three point shot and than feeding the ball inside to teammate, Elissa Frein for a beautiful assist. This tied the game at 28 a piece.
The Baymen responded by drawing a foul on Carle Place and getting to the line to hit one of two free throws.
Down 29-28, that is when Burden made one of the biggest shots of her high school career. The junior confidently pulled up behind the three point line and knocked down a dagger, giving the Frogs 31-29 lead. With less than a minute in the game, Burden added a free throw to increase the lead and Pisani drove in the lane for a layup helping to secure the win.
“Our team captains, Sarah and Kasey gave us the energy and the courage we needed in the second half,” said Carle Place coach, Mike Bello. “After playing their game in the first half, Sarah used her speed and aggressiveness and Kasey played like a veteran to help us get back on track in the second half and win the game. I am so proud of them and of our whole team’s effort today.”
