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A Few Clouds and Breezy Mediocre start for Lady Rams
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And while it translated to only two wins in December, coach Chris Van Kovics was able to take positives from each of the first seven outings.
“We improved on something each game,” Van Kovics said after the shorthanded Lady Rams fell 38-26 to Carey, a Conference AA-III team, on Dec. 30. “The bottom line is we have to be more consistent in everything we do. We’ve gotten better since the first week of November to now. We need to be tougher on the ball and on the boards and get to the foul line more.”
Cold shooting in the fourth quarter cost West Hempstead against Carey, which is off to a 6-0 start. The Lady Rams, down one heading into the fourth, were outscored 14-3 over the final eight minutes and took a three-game losing streak into Tuesday’s game against Friends Academy, after press time. “It was a glorified scrimmage for us because we were missing a few key players because of vacation,” Van Kovics said. “They pressed most of the game and once they got away from their zone we struggled in the halfcourt. We went 12 minutes without scoring.”
Sophomores Katie Lynch and Sarah Njoku were the bright spots in the loss, scoring 11 and nine points, respectively. Nicolette Sands paced the upstart Lady Seahawks with a game-high 16 points. “Katie’s seeing the floor as well as anyone I’ve ever coached,” Van Kovics said of Lynch, who has nailed 21 three-pointers. The coach was also inspired by the effort of Njoku. “I’d like to get six or seven points from Sarah every game,” he added.
The Lady Rams are at their best when guards Lynch and seniors Michelle Delace and Stefanie Koelbel are running on all cylinders. Each scored in double digits in a hard-fought 55-44 Conference ABC-V defeat to Bethpage prior to the holiday break. “We’re strong in the backcourt and we need to have a good pace to the game to be successful,” Van Kovics said. “We want to use our athleticism. We can get in trouble when games slow down.”
Bigger opponents have created headaches for West Hempstead, which relies on transition more than anything else. Points in the paint have been few and far between so far. “We’ve established our post play a little more lately,” Van Kovics said.
The Lady Rams have already faced two of their next three conference rivals. They beat Great Neck North in the consolation game of their host tournament, 47-35, behind 24 points by Lynch, and lost to vastly improved Valley Stream North by 24 points. “I’m confident we’re going to be in every game the rest of the way,” Van Kovics said.
Comments about this story? TBellissimo@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 204.
“We improved on something each game,” Van Kovics said after the shorthanded Lady Rams fell 38-26 to Carey, a Conference AA-III team, on Dec. 30. “The bottom line is we have to be more consistent in everything we do. We’ve gotten better since the first week of November to now. We need to be tougher on the ball and on the boards and get to the foul line more.”
Cold shooting in the fourth quarter cost West Hempstead against Carey, which is off to a 6-0 start. The Lady Rams, down one heading into the fourth, were outscored 14-3 over the final eight minutes and took a three-game losing streak into Tuesday’s game against Friends Academy, after press time. “It was a glorified scrimmage for us because we were missing a few key players because of vacation,” Van Kovics said. “They pressed most of the game and once they got away from their zone we struggled in the halfcourt. We went 12 minutes without scoring.”
Sophomores Katie Lynch and Sarah Njoku were the bright spots in the loss, scoring 11 and nine points, respectively. Nicolette Sands paced the upstart Lady Seahawks with a game-high 16 points. “Katie’s seeing the floor as well as anyone I’ve ever coached,” Van Kovics said of Lynch, who has nailed 21 three-pointers. The coach was also inspired by the effort of Njoku. “I’d like to get six or seven points from Sarah every game,” he added.
The Lady Rams are at their best when guards Lynch and seniors Michelle Delace and Stefanie Koelbel are running on all cylinders. Each scored in double digits in a hard-fought 55-44 Conference ABC-V defeat to Bethpage prior to the holiday break. “We’re strong in the backcourt and we need to have a good pace to the game to be successful,” Van Kovics said. “We want to use our athleticism. We can get in trouble when games slow down.”
The Lady Rams have already faced two of their next three conference rivals. They beat Great Neck North in the consolation game of their host tournament, 47-35, behind 24 points by Lynch, and lost to vastly improved Valley Stream North by 24 points. “I’m confident we’re going to be in every game the rest of the way,” Van Kovics said.
Comments about this story? TBellissimo@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 204.
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