Lady Lions Drop League II Opener to Sachem North, 47-40

Despite cutting a 12-point halftime deficit to four heading into the fourth quarter, the West Islip girls basketball team fell in their first League II game of the season to Sachem North, 47-40.

 led the Lions (0-1, 4-1) with 19 points. Erin Collins also chipped in with five points, 11 rebounds and five steals.

"Chelsea's been great all year," said West Islip head coach Chris Scharf said. "She's our leading scorer. Erin's our leading rebounder. More of the same from them."

Weir and the Lions closed to within four points at the end of the third quarter, but it was as close as they would get.

"We didn't help ourselves," said Scharf. "We had a lot of silly fouls, and a lot of shots we could've made."

Erin McNulty led the Sachem North (1-0, 3-1) with 19 points and 15 rebounds, and was the most consistent player on the floor throughout the contest.

"From start to finish she was my most consistent, aggressive player," said North head coach James Mellor. "Very tenacious. She's a good athlete and really gets after it. She was all over the offensive boards."

The Arrows took a 28-16 lead over the aggressive Lions, but saw their lead quickly cut in half thanks to three quick scores by West Islip.

"We got in a big hole early," Scharf. "We tried to fight out of it but couldn't get over that hump. But the girls kept battling."

Danielle Levine and Colleen McNeese chipped in with 11 and seven points respectively. But down the stretch McNulty really made her shots count.

"We relinquished the lead for a little while and she kind of broke through again and got some big plays later on in the game," said Mellor.

West Islip:

Sachem North: