Lady Bulldogs Battle Hard, But Fall Short Against Indians

If victories on the basketball court were earned through hard work and the will to win, the young Hewlett Lady Bulldogs would be running away with the Nassau County Conference A-II title. Unfortunately, the scoreboard hasn't been Hewlett's ally in 2010-11.

After a 55-45 loss to Sewanhaka, the visiting Lady Bulldogs fell to  2-10 overall and 0-8 in league play. Hewlett's Sam DiSalvo scored 20 points, matching her career high, to lead all scorers. Val DeNapoli chipped in with 11 points for the Lady Bulldogs.

Despite being winless in the conference, head coach Tommy Johnson is pleased with the team’s progress. “We’re getting better each game,” Johnson said. “It’s a very difficult conference, so we’re taking our lumps. There’s nothing for me to be upset about, because the girls give so much effort. We’re passing well, getting good looks, but the shots just haven’t been falling. I’m very pleased with the effort.” 

Sewanhaka, which improved to 5-3 in league play, was settling for long perimeter shots in the early going, and couldn’t find the bottom of the net. With the Lady Indians struggling to score, and leading scorer Celine Jolicoeur on the bench with two early fouls, Hewlett ran out to a quick 12-11 lead. Unfortunately, it would be the last lead of the day for the Lady Bulldogs. 

Trailing 21-17, the Lady Bulldogs opened the second half with consecutive baskets by DiSalvo to tie the score. But then Sewanhaka went on a 15-6 run to take control. Megan Mullaney hit back-to-back threes to give the Lady Indians a commanding 36-27 lead.

Hewlett would not go away. DiSalvo continued to have the hot hand, scoring the team’s first six points in the final quarter to cut Sewanhaka’s lead to 40-34 with 5:25 to play. But the Lady Bulldogs would get no closer. A three by Mullaney gave the Lady Indians a 48-37 lead, and Sewanhaka wouldn’t look back.

Sophomore Gabby Cassanova had six assists, and senior captain Allie Venditti had eight points for Hewlett. 

DiSalvo’s solid performance was no surprise to Johnson. The freshman guard scored 16 points in the second half.  “Sam never stops working hard on offense or defense,” Johnson said. “She creates her own opportunities through her hard work. Today, she was able to penetrate and get to the basket. She’s always in position to help us on either end of the floor.” 

With teams like South Side, Lynbrook, and Lawrence at the top of the conference, expectations were not high for Hewlett coming into the season. However, Johnson is hopeful that his team will be able to break through in league play and get that elusive victory. 

“It’s mostly about effort,” Johnson said. “The girls are really playing hard. We have to fine tune our offense to the point where we stop making these turnovers. Our defense is getting better and better. We create a lot of turnovers, but we have to learn how to capitalize on them. The girls have a great deal of potential. We just need to learn how to win these close games.” 

 The Lady Bulldogs will travel to South Side to take on the first place Lady Cyclones on Tuesday. Tip off is at 7 p.m.