Brennan, Carey, Poppe spark Holy Trinity

After having difficulty finding her shooting touch, Kelly Carey tried her luck closer to the hoop. The Holy Trinity senior made a move inside less than a minute into overtime for a game-changing three-point play.

"I cut to the basket because my shots weren't really falling in the second half," Carey said after Holy Trinity defeated Sacred Heart, 54-46, in overtime in the Nassau-Suffolk CHSAA girls basketball Class A state qualifying game Sunday at LIU Post. "My teammate found me and I went up strong and it happened to go in."

Said Holy Trinity coach John Scalfaro, "Kelly's done everything we've asked her to do. Normally a lot of these teams, they triangle-and-two, it's always Kelly and Katie. Today, when she only saw one player against her -- she likes that."

Alyson Brennan had 15 points, Katie Poppe 13 and Carey 10 for Holy Trinity (19-8), which will play Bishop Loughlin in the semifinals at 7 p.m. Friday at Cardinal Spellman.

Holy Trinity went on a 9-0 run to start overtime. Danielle DiGrazia sank a pair of baskets on outside jump shots -- with Carey's three-point play sandwiched in between -- and a basket by Mikaela Ryan (nine points) made the score 51-42.

"I've been working on that shot every day in practice all year long, so I knew it was my turn to step up," DiGrazia said. "When I got the ball, I just looked to the basket and knew it was my time and I wasn't going to go down without a fight."

The fourth quarter was tense as neither squad wanted its season to end. Jenna Pasquale (16 points) capped a 7-0 run that gave Sacred Heart a 42-40 lead with 3:52 to play. Brennan's two free throws with 2:14 to go tied the score at 42.

SEE PHOTOSHoly Trinity 54, Sacred Heart 46

"I never really had it in my mind that we were going to lose," Carey said. "I never really got nervous; I had faith in my team."

The Titans went on a 14-0 run from midway through the first quarter to the 6:38 mark of the second to pull ahead 23-13. Sacred Heart (16-11) responded with an 11-1 run to tie the score at 24 late in the first half.

Poppe had 11 points in the first half for Holy Trinity, which led 26-25 at the break. Brennan scored eight of Holy Trinity's 12 points in the third quarter as the Titans clung to a 38-35 lead.