Lady Cougars Fall to Sachem East 48-38

By Anthony Vertucci

Despite several comeback efforts the fell to the undefeated Sachem East Arrows 48-38 Thursday evening.

Sachem guard Emily Carmel put up a season-high 20 points, which includes five three-pointers. Commack fell behind early and was playing catch-up all night long.

“They’re a tough team and they have several players with top shelf individual talent,” said Commack head coach Denis Conroy. “They’ve got four kids who can handle the ball and that always makes your job that much harder when you’ve got some kids that can break you down.”

Sachem dominated the first quarter with consecutive three-pointers from Carmel and Victoria Hassett. Freshmen Kathleen Everson scored four of her seven points in the opening quarter; including a basket in the final seconds to give Sachem a 19-8 lead. 

Commack fought back, going on an 8-0 run and limiting Sachem to a mere two points in the second quarter. The Cougars’ momentum carried over to the second half when Co-captain Colleen Walker hit a three-pointer to bring the game to 21-20.

“We had a rough second quarter,” said East head coach Matt Brisson. “Third quarter we came out and moved the ball better and created more openings. We were able to hang in there and weather that storm.”

Sachem answered back with a 9-1 run over the next 4 minutes, which included a three-pointer and two free-throws from Carmel and field goal from Jamie Doherty. Carmel hit four three-pointers in the third quarter alone to help the team enter the fourth with a 14 point lead.    

Walker hit her third three-pointer of the game to start the final quarter, cutting the Cougars’ deficit to 39-28. Guard Samantha Lee scored four of her six total points in the fourth but Sachem’s 18-8 assault in the third quarter proved to be the difference in the game.

Commack’s 7-for-15 performance from the line played a major factor in the game’s outcome, as Sachem went 10-for-13. Walker led Commack with 12 points, while Lane and Kerry Haller scored six each. Meagan Doherty scored eight points for Sachem and Kathleen Everson contributed seven, including a 3-for-3 showing from the free-throw line.

Prior to tipoff a dedication ceremony took place in which two scoreboards were named for Commack High School alum Shana Kay. Kay’s life was tragically cut short on July 3, 2005, when she succumbed to injuries suffered in an accident. The Kay family has generously raised money through donations to their Shana Kay foundation, and the scoreboards the high school will honor their daughter's memory.

“I personally taught her and she was a wonderful girl,” said Conroy. “You have to think about how this is a precious time in a young person’s life. You really have to cherish it when you have that opportunity and I think we played that way tonight. We played hard and we can leave it on the court that we played the best that we could.”

Commack (1-2, 2-5) heads to Patchogue-Medford while Sachem (2-0, 5-0) hosts Ward Melville on Tuesday.