By Joseph Staszewski
Carolyn Gallagher had made all but one fourth-quarter free throw this season and there was no reason to think that was about to change.
The game appeared all but over when the Molloy junior stepped to the line with a chance to seal a key win against Bishop Ford. Gallagher, however, unexpectedly missed the front end of a 1-and-1 and Ford’s Brittany “Pookie” Martin scored on a putback to tie the score and send the game into overtime.
“It was really frustrating,” Gallagher said. “I usually make all my foul shots, but I guess I was just a little nervous and I wasn’t concentrating.”
Gallagher would not let that happen again when she got a chance at redemption in the extra session.
This time she made both at the line to put the finishing touches on a 24-point night and the Stanners 65-61 overtime victory in CHSAA Brooklyn/Queens Division I girls’ basketball last Thursday night in Briarwood. Amani Tatum had 19 points, including two free throws with 2:03 remaining in overtime, to put the Stanners up for good. Nyasha Irizarry added 11 points.
“She has so much heart that I know that one free throw that she misses is not going to bother her and she is going to hit the next 10 in a row,” said Molloy Coach Scott Lagas, of Gallagher.
Ford won the team’s first meeting 61-48 in Brooklyn back in late December. The Stanners (15-6, 7-3), ranked No. 4 in the city by the New York Post, were motivated by comments made by the second-ranked Falcons (17-4, 7-3) in an nypost.com article after the game, saying they knew they could blow them out. Lagas reread the story and the comments prior to the second meeting, which went much differently. The Stanners now move into second place in the division.
“I feel like last time they didn’t think it was a big game,” Irizarry said. “We knew that this was a big game and we came out and won.”
The sharpshooting junior was a big reason why. She gave Molloy the lead twice in the fourth quarter with shot-clock beating three-pointers from the left side. The second put the Stanners up 55-53 with 1:08 to play, but Kamille Ejerta and Gallagher each missed the front ends of 1-and-1s.
“I knew I had to take them,” Irizarry said. “[Defenders] weren’t on top of me as much as I thought they were going to be.”
Bishop Ford, trailing by two, appeared to catch a bad break when a clear shot clock violation was not called with 29.5 seconds remaining in overtime. The Falcons got the rebound, but ended up rushing and turning the ball back over at midcourt.
Coach Mike Toro was not going to use that as an excuse. Instead he questioned the effort level of his guards on a night where the 6-foot-3 Martin turned in one of her best performances of the season. She had 13 points and 14 rebounds. Aaliyah Jones had 16 points, including three three-pointers, and Brittany Lewis added 12 points. The Falcons, who started 15-1, have now gone 2-3 in their last five games.
“That kid has built a hunger and has become a basketball player, has become a big girl and has busted her behind the last few games.” Toro said of Martin. “I said it’s bad when your big girl has been on the floor diving for balls in the last four games more than your guards combined. Something is wrong with that picture.”
Molloy, on the other hand, is healthy and back on the upswing — winners of four straight — since losing three in a row. It has clinched a berth in the CHSAA Class AA state tournament a year after winning the state Federation Class A crown.
“We are getting better,” Gallagher said. “People should be scared of us.”
