Somers Pressures North Salem in 46-32 Victory

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JV versus Fox Lane

On Thursday December 19, Somers traveled to North Salem, and not long after getting off the bus, the Tuskers were all up in the home team’s grill. “Our goal is to trap the corners,” said Ashley Kuchinsky, and an early 5-4 game didn’t last.

They got all antsy and we went on a rampage,” said the guard after an 11-2 run turned into an easy 46-32 victory.

North Salem did open with the lead, though. Noemi Torres grabbed the rebound on the defensive end, got the ball ahead, and Kerri Nemeth sunk the layup.

The home team’s last advantage, ball movement quickly addressed the anomaly. Kacey McCullough at the foul line to Sydney Ingram to Olivia Allegretti on the baseline and back to McCullough, the triangulation tied the score at two.

One pass worked too. On the next possession, Eliana Contreras spotted Kuchinsky on the cut, and the sophomore connected abort the arc for a 5-2 game.

The press then employed, North Salem obliged with a turnover, and pressure defense had the same result in the front court. But the long legs of Torres couldn’t be completely clipped, She pulled down a defensive rebound and got her team as close as they would get with a coast to coast layup.

Nonetheless defense didn’t work so well the other way. Nemeth failed at a steal attempt above the arc, and Contreras made her pay.

In for a triple, Somers also played the short game. McCullough followed Ingraham’s layup, and the Tuskers led 10-4 with 2:34 left in the first.

Timeout called, Somers came out four deep in the backcourt, and Kuchinsky would get the steal. She did turn it over on the way up, but Noah Salem returned the favor seconds later.

That left Contreras to not exactly do her thing. “I like to attack,” said the freshman, but the guard also doesn’t hesitate when left open.

Three more, Somers still refused to concede the backcourt. Kuchinsky again, she forced a held ball and the jitters showed when North Salem possession had Emma Greenburgh missing both rim and backboard.

Of course, the offense didn’t miss a beat. Ingraham spotted Kuchinsky on moved toward the basket, and before the interior defense got a whiff, the guard’s touch pass found McCullough for the layup.

15-4, after Allegretti sank one from the line, North Salem baskets to close the first and open the second didn’t cause the slightest blip for Somers.

This especially with Contreras getting away from herself again. Allegretti trapped underneath, she sent the ball out to Ingraham, and on the right was Contreras with open space. Up and away, the drop gave the Tuskers a 19-8 lead.

There was no retreat either. A red sea in front on the next five trips up court, each time the Tigers were parted from the ball. The score remaining status quo anyway, Contreras finally got to do her thing. On the turnover, she took the ball at mid court and got to the line on the drive.

One of two, Somers kept coming. First, Erin O’Brien’s rebound led to a fast break layup for Allegretti and then the forward did it with defense. Allegretti gave no ground on a Torrres’ rush up court and possession gave Schmidberger the chance to fall back on her soccer background.

As a goalie, she has to see all angles, and when the ball finds her in the paint, it’s a familiar setting. “I see before I go,” she said, and Schmidberger didn’t have the ball long before finding Allegretti for the baseline layup.

A 25-11 lead at the half, the third quarter was more of the same. Defense, passing and shooting, the lead exploded to 40-16 on a Kuchinsky three, and Coach Kevin Mallon put the formula into words. “We’re going to win with a lot of gritty play,” he concluded. “Force turnovers, score in transition and knock down a few shots.”