After back to back wins over East Rockaway and Wheatley, the Carle Place girl’s basketball team finds themselves in first place in a tough Conference B. If they continue their winning ways it could mean a top seed for them come playoff time, but first they must navigate a daunting remaining schedule.
“This next week will show how tough we really are,” said head coach, Mike Bello, after Friday night’s 52-33 victory over Wheatley. “We have a big game on Friday at Cold Spring Harbor, who talent wise is really the number one team in our conference.”
The following Tuesday the Frogs face another tough test when they host an Oyster Bay team who is considered one of the top three teams in the conference.
“Our girls beat their butts every day in practice and in games and when we bring that necessary energy we are tough to beat,” said Bello.
All of this early season success is happening to an undermanned squad, with only nine players on the roster and only two of those girls having any experience at the varsity level.
Senior point guard, Sarah Pisani is one of those players. The 2013-14 All State and three time All-County player leads Carle Place in points and assists per game.
“She is a premier point guard who provides 50 percent of our scoring and averages 5 to 6 assists per game,” said Bello. “She keeps us in a lot of games.”
Another player Coach Bello relies on is junior Kacey Burden, who has a deadly three point shot and can guard almost any player on an opposing team.
“She can play anywhere from the one to five spot, bring the ball up and is our best three point shooter. She also helps us with her strong defense, usually guarding the best player on the other team.”
Eighth grader Abigail Selhorn has been strong for Carle Place this season with three double doubles in her last three games. Coach Bello said that she will be a force to be reckoned with as she gets older.
Carle Place hosts Malverne Tuesday, Jan. 13 at 7:15 p.m. The girls are away at Cold Spring Harbor on Friday, Jan. 16 at 7:30 p.m. and host Oyster Bay on Tuesday, Jan. 20 at 7:30 p.m.
