Mineola Girls Hoops Don’t Let Win Slip Through Fingers

Probably on any other court, on any other day, the results would have turned out differently. The truth of the matter is, it was sloppy all around. With at least 14 turnovers across the match between the Mineola Lady Mustangs and the Clarke Lady Rams to open the basketball portion of Reggie Carter night Friday at Mineola High School, it was an exercise in who could simply hang onto the ball and for how long.

“I think nerves, whatever, I don’t have a lot of ball handlers,” Mineola head coach Denise Zunno said after the 41-26 win. “My point guard is my strongest ball handler.”

That of course being senior Julie Falotico, who had 6 steals and 7 assists on the night, also earning her the Reggie Carter award for the evening on the girls’ side.

Shooting-wise, Mineola (2-3, 4-6) was just lucky that a hapless Clarke offense kept taking the same shot from the side of the hoop, seeing it constantly sailing over in an east-west arc instead of dropping into the basket.

“I think my girls moved the ball well, I think the overall scoring,” Zunno said. “I think it was a team effort.”

The Lady Mustangs only had two players in double-digit scoring: Addie McKeever (10) and Samantha Venus (12).

“She’s a stud down low, she’s strong, she’s tough and she’s having a great season this year,” Zunno said of the latter. “I’m happy with all of them, they’re all contributing.”

That is, at least on defense – the brightest spot of the night – as in the second quarter Mineola was able to hold Clarke (1-4, 2-8) scoreless through 6:50 of play, allowing only two baskets the entire frame and only letting Clarke junior guard Angelica Gardiulo slip past in the third for a layup and one completed foul-shot.

“We change it up a little, we played man-on-man at first, starting out with man because my girls sometimes don’t move their feet,” Zunno said, “and then I put a little bit into a trapping zone and then change things up.”