Lutheran defense wears down Sachem East

Long Island Lutheran's intense pressure defense didn't seem to bother Sachem East early in yesterday's game. Despite the absence of its top player, Meagan Doherty, Sachem East had several fast-break baskets and led after a quarter.

It wasn't as easy in the second quarter, though. Host Lutheran's defense improved drastically, and that was the difference in its 59-44 non-league girls basketball victory.

Yuni Sher had 11 points and 13 rebounds, Paige Kriftcher scored 12 points, Boogie Brozoski had 10 and Christina Raiti added eight for Lutheran (15-4), which has won eight straight games.

Emily Carmel's three-pointer gave Sachem East a 16-8 lead before Raiti hit a three to end the first quarter. Brozoski's three-pointer gave the Crusaders the lead for good at 21-18 with 4:20 left in the half, but it was Sher who dominated the quarter with 10 points.

"I needed to rebound and score," Sher said. "It wasn't just me. It was the whole team. It's not just one or two players that score. We all make that one extra pass. We really do distribute the ball."

Lutheran used a 19-4 second quarter to take a 30-20 lead at the half. "We blitzed them on their ball screens," coach Rich Slater said. "Yuni was awesome in that second quarter. She was physical. She finished."

Doherty had 23 points Friday in a 50-28 victory over Lindenhurst that earned Sachem East (14-3) at least a share of the Suffolk League I championship.

SEE PHOTOSLutheran 59, Sachem East 44

She went to Stony Brook University Medical Center Sunday, and coach Matt Brisson said a family member told him she has a bruised kidney. Brisson said he was told she "no longer was in pain" and had returned home. "I'm hoping everything will be OK," he said.

Brisson said that at halftime Friday, Doherty mentioned that her back was stiffening up. She played the entire second half and had 11 points in the fourth quarter. Brisson said Doherty didn't recall any specific play that could have caused the injury. The coach said he will look at the tape to see if he can pinpoint anything.

Carmel scored 14 points Sunday for defending state Class AA champion Sachem East, which trailed by 23 before ending the third quarter on a 7-0 run to pull within 47-31. Carmel's three made it 54-40 with 3:25 left, but that was as close as it would get.

"I am not a big guy for moral victories," Brisson said, "but we didn't have Meagan and the pace of the game is so intense against them. We ran out of gas. We only go six, maybe seven deep on a good day. To run with them for a little while was good work for us."