Doherty, Sachem East rally to beat LuHi
Sachem East guard Katie Doherty tries to get around Long Island Lutheran guard Christina Raiti. (Feb. 2, 2012) Credit: George A. Faella
Meagan Doherty wanted to see how good her Sachem East team was, and the gauge was Long Island Lutheran.
Sachem East has dominated in Suffolk League I, with the closest margin of victory 18 points. Against one of the top teams on Long Island, Sachem East showed it deserves to be in the discussion of L.I.'s best teams.
Doherty scored nine of her 18 points in the fourth quarter as host Sachem East -- after trailing by 11 points in the second quarter -- earned a 54-49 win over Long Island Lutheran Thursday night in a non-league girls basketball game.
Katie Doherty contributed 12 points, Kathleen Everson had 10 and Allie Drake added nine for the Flaming Arrows.
"We want to play against the best," Meagan said. "There's nothing like playing the top teams on Long Island. We have to play smart. There's no room for error against these teams. We needed a game like this against a great team like LuHi."
Meagan Doherty started the fourth quarter with a driving layup to tie the score at 36. She hit a three-pointer with 5:44 left to give the Flaming Arrows the lead for good at 39-36.
"When I hit the first basket, I felt it," she said. "I got some space and I hit the three. I didn't even know we had the lead until the crowd went crazy."
Doherty then fed a cutting Everson, who converted a three-point play with 4:03 left to cap a 12-0 run and give Sachem East a 42-36 lead.
"It gave me a lot of confidence and it gave us the momentum," Everson said. "It seemed like the turning point."
Boogie Brozoski (five points) found Katie Lavelle for a layup with 1:39 left to bring Lutheran (14-4) within 44-40 before she fouled out 50 seconds later.
Sachem East (13-1) finished it off from the foul line, going 10-for-12 in the final 49 seconds. Christina Raiti (12 points) hit a three-pointer to slice the Crusaders' deficit to 50-47 with 14 seconds left, but Meagan Doherty converted all four free throws in the final 13 seconds.
"That's a huge win for us," Sachem East coach Matt Brisson said. "They're a great team. You're playing to get yourself playoff-ready, and that's why a game like this got scheduled this late in the year."
