Garger's on point for Hicksville girls
Hicksville's Caitlyn Garger drives the ball against Port Washington in the girls basketball game. (Dec. 21, 2011) Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Quite simply, Caitlyn Garger got the point. She understood the purpose and embraced the team's daring decision to have her, its tallest player and most effective low-post scorer, shift to point guard this season.
And in the waning minutes of Wednesday's seesaw contest with Port Washington, it was Garger, Hicksville's 5-11 floor general, who got the points.
She scored nine of her game-high 21 in the fourth quarter as the Comets edged Nassau Conference AA-II rival Port Washington, 48-46, in girls basketball.
Caitlin Wynne's free throw created the final margin for Hicksville (2-0) with 13.4 seconds remaining, and a Vikings three-pointer rimmed out as time expired.
"I think my height is a benefit because I can see over some shorter guards," said Garger, who added 12 rebounds, six assists and two blocks. The junior had never played point guard until coach Rich Hinnerschietz suggested it before the season, but "I've been working on my ballhandling in AAU for a couple years."
It showed on some nifty crossovers, a behind-the-back dribble, and the two outlet passes she threw the length of the court. But there's a still a little forward in her.
Garger's layup put Hicksville up 38-36 with 5:40 left -- the 11th lead change of the game -- and she gave them a four-point lead with another post-up basket a minute later.
"Caitlyn's making us look good," said Leslie Jaffie, who scored 16 points. "She's talented but so selfless."
Garger's free throw made it 47-44 with 22 seconds remaining, but Emily Rosenthal (18 points) hit a layup that got Port Washington within a point with 14.8 seconds left, preceding Wynne's foul shot.
"I almost had a heart attack," Jaffie said of the Vikings' last-second shot that came this close to costing Hicksville. "We got a little lucky, but we pulled it out."
Port Washington (1-1) led 31-23 late in the third quarter, but Hicksville rallied and took a 34-33 lead on Jaffie's sweeping layup with 6:14 left in the fourth. "We have big games coming up so being 2-0 is great for our confidence," said Wynne, who had 10 points.
Hayley Kerr scored 12 points and Nicole Alechman added seven for the Vikings.
But back to the point: "Teams can't deny Caitlyn the ball if she's the one bringing it up," Hinnerschietz said. "The theory is good -- give your best player the ball a lot."
Simple, but on point.
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