Samantha Schneider of Syosset drives to the basket as Lara...

Samantha Schneider of Syosset drives to the basket as Lara Glasser of Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK defends during a Nassau Conference AAA-I girls basketball game on Friday at Syosset. Credit: David Meisenholder

The Syosset girls basketball team, which has spent much of the season in control of its competition, faced a familiar challenge on Friday night.

It hosted Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK, the team it defeated in last season’s Nassau Class AAA semifinals.

Syosset fell behind by 10 in the second quarter but battled back, scoring the final seven points of the first half. It then used a 13-0 run in the fourth quarter to secure a 61-49 victory over POB JFK in a Nassau Conference AAA-I matchup.

“I felt like I was playing in the championship game again,” said Samantha Schneider, who scored 22 points as Syosset won its ninth straight game. “We all had that increase in intensity and firepower in the second half that gave us the push we needed.”

A reverse layup by Emma Heaney gave the Hawks a 28-18 lead with 1:45 remaining in the first half, but Syosset’s Ivy Matthews hit two layups and Schneider sank a three-pointer as Syosset (11-1, 6-0) got within 28-25.

In the third quarter, Syosset senior guard Kate Nelmes made three free throws before hitting a layup to bring Syosset within 37-34. Sophomore Jaylah McKay then took a pass from Nelmes and made the first of her three three-pointers in the third quarter to tie the score at 37 with 2:23 left. A minute later, McKay nailed another three-pointer to give Syosset a lead it wouldn’t relinquish.

“During halftime, we vowed we would go on a run and not let them come back,” McKay said. “Once our shots started falling, we just kept the intensity up and our flow came back.”

Syosset used its stout defense and a mix of baskets by Nelmes and Schneider to score 13 unanswered points in a three-minute span during the fourth quarter. Rachel Ganz (nine points) scored five points in the final three minutes in an attempt to get the Hawks (10-5, 4-2) back in it.

Ganz scored four points during the Hawks’ 9-0 run in the first quarter, which led to a 14-6 lead.

Heaney had 19 points and Nicole Kyriacou added 16 for POB JFK.

“We know the team we are and what we’re capable of,” Schneider said. “We don’t take any team lightly and we’re here to come back even stronger.”

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