Tough McKenna carries Glenn

The roster has Allison McKenna listed as a forward. That she dominates the paint and is her team's tallest player at 6-1 would suggest she's more of a center. That's irrelevant because, if told by her late-game exploits, McKenna is, in fact, the closer.

Glenn won its Class A basketball semifinal yesterday, defeating Shoreham-Wading River, 48-38. But pay that final score no mind, this was one of those boomerang contests. Every time top-seeded Glenn seemingly tossed them away, the Wildcats flew right back.

That is, until McKenna (well, her late-game exploits) said, "OK, that's enough."

When No. 4 Shoreham pulled within 40-38 on Meghan King's sweeping layup with 2:19 left - and brought some angst to the Glenn crowd - McKenna answered within 12 seconds, nailing two free throws after being fouled on a drive inside.

With the Knights up 44-38, McKenna, playing defense on the perimeter, intercepted a pass and was fouled with 28.8 seconds remaining. She made a free throw to make it a three-possession game.

"I had to make a play on defense and finish it off . . . We haven't been to the counties since I've been here," the junior said. "This game meant a lot."

Glenn (19-0), which last reached the final in 2008, will face Harborfields at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at St. Joseph's College for the Suffolk Class A title.

SEE PHOTOSGlenn 48, Shoreham-Wading River 38

McKenna flashed the full arsenal, banging in the post, scoring on cuts to the basket, and even stepping out for a couple 12-foot jumpers. She had 19 points, 19 rebounds and four steals.

"It's what she does," Glenn coach Andrew Athanas said with a shrug and smile. "We've come to expect it."

Naturally, McKenna deferred credit to her teammates. But there was a little more to that than modesty. It's typically her inside presence that frees the shooters, but the script flipped in the first half as McKenna, with the paint congested, was held to six points. Emma Klis offset that, scoring 11 of her 13 points before intermission.

Klis' three-pointer at 2:02 in the first quarter gave the Knights a 9-8 lead they didn't relinquish. She opened the second quarter with a trey, and her corner three with 5:29 left in the half gave Glenn its biggest lead at 21-10.

"Once I started hitting, they came out on me and we were able to go back to Allie," said Klis, who wears No. 3 and tries to pattern her game after former Net Drazen Petrovic.

Monica Eugene added four points and 16 rebounds, and Danielle Evers, battling the flu, hit three clinching free throws in the final 20 seconds. For the Wildcats (12-8), Michelle Gostic had 11 points, and Cali Lavey and Corinne Wiederkehr each scored eight.

Shoreham coach Dennis Haughney lauded his team's resilience. The Wildcats went on a 7-0 run in the second quarter to pull within 21-17; Gostic's layup with five seconds left in the third capped a 9-3 run that brought them within 35-32. They trailed 39-32 early in the fourth but closed within two late.

"Am I surprised we're [undefeated]?" Athanas said. "I suppose . . . But, hey, we have an opportunity to do something special."