Lady Spartans top O'Neill, Livingston Manor, Dover

Florida - Three games, three wins. All in non-league. In rapid-fire order the Lady Spartans downed Division IV James I. O’Neill, 36-19, Division VI Livingston Manor, 39-25, and out-of-league Dover, 53-48. The game on Monday at O’Neill was a kind of payback. The Spartans lost to the Lady Raiders early in the year at the Spartan Invitational Tournament, 48-44. This time Florida held O’Neill to 19 points while scoring 36. Kathleen Folkl had eight points, while Angela Flores and Kylie Burnside had seven. Not a high-scoring total, but enough to win comfortably. On Tuesday the Spartans handled host Livingston Manor, 39-25. Selin Tekin had the hot hand in this one going five-for-five from the field and finishing with 11 points. Flores and Folkl each scored ten in the winning effort. Back home on Friday the Lady Spartans played host to Class B Dover from across the Hudson and had to hold on for a closer than it should have been 53-48 win. In the first quarter Melissa Oliphant from outside and Tekin from inside scored nine and eight, respectively. By half-time Florida led by a 20-point margin, 33-13. The visiting Lady Dragons closed that gap somewhat in the third quarter, 41-28, and really turned up the heat in the final stanza. Spartan coach Joe DiMattina’s plea, “If you don’t start playing defense, you’re going to lose the game,” was no idle threat. Burnside’s three-pointer gave the Spartans a little breathing room to start the fourth, but Dover’s three-pointer with a minute left cut the lead to 49-45. Flores’ quickness and ball handling against the Dragons’ pressure defense was a big help towards the frantic finish. It also helped that Florida paraded to the foul line in the fourth quarter, converting a rather modest, 7-16. Not a pretty win, but a win nevertheless. Oliphant played well scoring a team-high 16 points, and Tekin contributed 13 while being a force underneath. Flores ended up with nine points, and Burnside kicked in with eight. Making the highlight shot of the week was Jillian Harter’s long, desperate three-pointer that just beat the buzzer to end the first half. The Lady Spartans (11-4, 3-1) may need more of those rainbows as they continue their search for that pot ‘o gold, the Division V crown.