BROOKLYN, NY - After losing to Archbishop Molloy earlier this season to drop to 2-2, Long Island Lutheran head coach Rich Slater was left to wonder what to do to motivate his team. Each of his starters were either committed or signed to Division 1 schools for next season, and each had won a NYS Federation Championship. He was left to make a drastic decision to hopefully get his team back on track.

What he eventually did do made his group of girls wake up, straighten out, and get there acts together. A tournament victory at the prestigious Naples Holiday Shootout in Florida got it all started, and since that time they have won 7 straight including a 63-40 blowout over perennial NYC power Murry Bergtraum on Saturday at the Rose Classic Super Jam in Brooklyn.

Knowing that his team was at a crossroads after the Molloy loss, Slater did something he had never done before to one of his teams. He took everything away from them.

"I took their locker room away, I took there sneakers away, I took their travel gear away, I took anything red and black away," Slater admitted. "They weren't allowed to practice in LuHi gear, and they couldn't wear anything LuHi for over a week because they didn't deserve it."

Slater felt as if they weren't playing together, and were playing without the passion and dedication that he asks of his players, noting that he also had a team meeting with his seniors to evaluate if they wanted to be great, or just settle for good.

"They have to be held accountable, and the thing is, with good players, coaches hold good players accountable, with great players, teammates hold players accountable," Slater explained to what he said to his seniors. "You want to be a great player, hold your teammates accountable, and they weren't doing that."

The actions Slater took, and the message that he spoke sunk in deep for LuHi's star guard, Lauren Brozoski '15. The Michigan bound guard said that all that was done was needed to get the focus back to where it was supposed to be.

"It was tough because for that week we didn't look like a team," Brozoski said about having their gear taken away. "It was a method to get to look and act like a team. When you have no gear you start to appreciate how much it means, and we knew we had to come together and play together because if we didn't we weren't going to get it back."

The only way that they were going to get it back though was to play as one, and come together as a family, because a family is what Slater feels his team is and needs to be, and after taking down 3 nationally ranked teams down in the Florida, they got the gear back, and they have been rolling through teams ever since. Saturday against Bergtraum was just another opportunity for them to show just how good they now are.

The Crusaders would have to win this one without the services of forward Taylor Byrne '15, who was with a sprained ankle suffered last weekend in a win over Holy Cross of Maryland, but right out of the gates in this one, the intense defensive pressure got things started as the Lady Blazers attempted to throw the ball over the double teams that LuHi brought to them in the backcourt, but steals led to easy baskets the other way as Long Island Lutheran jumped out to a quick 24-9 lead after one.

Brozoski then became a one girls wrecking crew for LuHi in the 2nd as she scored the first 9 points of the quarter. It started with a pull up three, and then it was buckets in transition off of Bergtraum mistakes and the lead just kept growing.

Forward Alex Smith '15 was a bright spot inside for the Lady Blazers as whenever she was able to get her hands on the ball in the paint, she was able to score, but with double digit turnovers in the opening half, and with guard Ashanae McLaughlin '15 scoring just 5 points in the early going, it was all LuHi who held a commanding 46-19 lead at the half, and Slater was extremely happy with his girls play because it was the defense that was leading to the team's offense, which is exactly the way the coach says he wants it.

"That's what we do best, that is our biggest strength," Slater said. "Buying into guarding people is something that we need to do, and we did that today."

Erin Storck '15 knocked down a pair of first half three's, and the duo down low of Evelyn Omemmah '15 and Jenna Silletti '16 were able to do good things running out on the break to help LuHi get out to the big lead.

Bergtraum did a good job coming out of the locker room in scoring the first 6 points of the 2nd half with a pair of spins moves around defenders inside by Smith helping the Lady Blazers start to build momentum, but right back the other way came Brozoski with a wing three, and then a short jumper in the lane by Silletti, and the Long Island Lutheran lead was bumped up to 57-30 after three as they were once again in firm control.

Going into the 4th, Slater went to his bench and tried to give minutes to players who don't play much, but eventually with them struggling, he went back to the starters, and even though it took them 4+ minutes to score in the final quarter, all was under control as they played as close to a perfect defensive game as possible and controlled one of NYC's best teams, limiting them to their lowest point total of the year in the 63-40 victory.

It was another high level performance on a big stage for Brozoski who scored a game high 29 points in the winning cause for LuHi, with Storck and Omemmah adding 8 a piece, and even though she was the one who had the high point total, Brozoski said she wouldn't have cared if she had just 9 points, just so long as the team wins.

"I honestly didn't care who scored," Brozoski explained. "It wasn't like I had to get mine or she had to get hers, we all took care of each other and came together as one."

That's the team and family message that Slater has been preaching that is now easily displayed by each and every Crusaders, and it's a message that might be needed now for Bergtraum.

It was a disappointing loss for the Lady Blazers who came in with a load of confidence, but exit with more questions than answers after a turnover loaded effort, and head coach Nerva Jean-Pierre is left to wonder now if his players are in it for themselves, or in it for the team.

"I asked them one question after the game. It's not about X's and O's, it's about do you all love each other and want to play for each other, or do you want to play for yourselves," Jean-Pierre said.

Smith had a great game inside scoring 17 points, but McLaughlin was kept in check with just 5 points, and none in the 2nd half, but according to the Seton Hall bound guard, there was too much of a me attitude for the team on Saturday, and it's something she personally was disgusted by.

"We didn't play as hard as we should've, we didn't play together, we were selfish, and we were choosing a lot of bad options," McLaughlin said. "Hopefully it's a lesson learned."

It's a lesson that LuHi learned over the past month, and they are now in a much better place for it, a place that once again has them among the best girl's teams not just in New York, but in the entire country, and it's a place that Brozoski says they plan on staying.

"We got the message. We are playing well and we are now a family."

With both teams having to play without key players, St. Mary's without guard MeiLyn Bautista '15 because of a sprained ankle, and Francis Lewis without guard Sierra Green '16 due to a thumb injury, the matchup that looked good on paper turned into a sloppy affair, but led by the 16 points of McKayla Hernandez '15, the Gaels were able to hold off a late Lady Patriots charge for the 3 point win.

Green has been out now for over a week with the thumb injury, but Bautista just injured her ankle on Thursday in a league game against Mercy, stepping on the foot of an opposing player, and immediately St. Mary's head coach Tom Flynn knew it was something serious.

Saying he never wanted to play a game this season without Bautista, he acknowledged that it was now time for others to step up and try and fill the void of a player Flynn called indispensable.

Early on in this one it was Tamia Gutignola '16 who knocked down a corner jumper as the Gaels jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead. That was short lived though as Robyn Francis '15 singlehandedly carried the Lady Patriots back on a 7-0 run to grab their first lead with 3:10 left in the 1st as Francis Lewis would go on to lead after one, 11-7.

It wasn't a well-played half though. Flynn said that without Bautista pressing them becomes easier, something he added that teams rarely even try with a talent like that in the backcourt.

Francis Lewis had there opportunities, and they were doing a good job guarding the paint according to Lady Patriots head coach Stephen Tsai, it was the damage from the outside, specifically Hernandez, that was doing them in.

"I felt we were doing a good job with Jordan Agustus '15 and Charlotte Renker '15 inside, but we didn't pay attention to the fact McKayla was shooting out there, and that was unacceptable," Tsai said.

Hernandez ended up with 10 of the Gaels 18 first half points as St. Mary's had an 18-17 lead at the break.

While Cutignola was a big secondary help for Hernandez in the opening half, forward Elizabeth Limonta '15 was a solid contributor in the 2nd half as she did a good job in the paint following up on a pair of misses, and she also helped do a solid job defensively as the Gaels looked like they were about to pull away heading into the 4th quarter.

They could've have pulled away according to Flynn if not for the countless turnovers that his team committed, but they still held a lead coming into the final minute. They were up as much as 7 early in the 4th, but that was whittled down to just 33-29 with 35.2 seconds to play, and after a steal by Chi La Bady '15, it looked as if Francis Lewis might be heading in for a basket in transition to make it a two point game, but the referee whistled the play dead and called a technical foul on Lady Patriots assistant coach Frank Wilbeck. A call that seemed to bewilder Tsai.

"The referee said that he said something to him, but I didn't hear it," Tsai explained. "It was big because we were down just 4 and had gotten a steal and were going in for a layup, but I told the girls that it wasn't just about that. We shot ourselves in the foot all game long. We had way too many turnovers, and we were doing things that we weren't supposed to. People talk about the end, but that is what really cost us."

It was a tough break, but with over 20 turnovers, Francis Lewis did struggle to gain any sort of traction throughout the game. Green's absence as well took away a major scoring threat, and while Francis and others did step up, it wasn't enough as a last second heave for the Lady Patriots fell short giving St. Mary's a much needed 35-32 victory.

Hernandez paced St. Mary's with 16 points, while Cutignola and Limonta each added 6 apiece in the win.

Francis was the only Francis Lewis scorer in double figures as the senior guard had 16 points of her own in the tough defeat.

It may not have been pretty, but the Gaels found a way to win without Bautista, something they may have to do more of for the foreseeable future. Flynn understands that his team has not played the way people expected them to this season, but with the whole team only having playing in 2 games together this season to date, it has been injuries more than anything in his eyes that has caused there inconsistent play.

He isn't sure when, or even if his team will be back at full strength, but regardless of how they looked on Saturday, Flynn feels that if they were to come back and have enough time to gel, that no one to him has the talent of his squad.

"Our goal this year was to play in March, and when we are healthy and playing right and playing well, I believe we are the best team around. Will we see that though? I am hoping so."