High School Girls Basketball

BY ADAM RONIS

Eugeneia McPherson already displayed the ability to come through in the big games. The North Babylon junior guard had 29 points in the L.I. Class AA championship and 35 points in the county final against Commack last season. That came when Chanel Chisolm was the primary option on offense.

The offense was designed to go through her, but with Chisolm receiving double teams, McPherson led the team in scoring. Chisolm is now at Vanderbilt, which means McPherson will draw the attention of the opponent. So far, it hasn't flustered her one bit.

"She still finds a way to score," North Babylon coach Mike Petre said. "She can score in a multitude of ways."

McPherson had 30 points against JFK (Bronx), one of the top teams in the PSAL, 22 against Bergtraum (Manhattan), one of the top teams in the country, and 24 against Glenn. She hit a pull-up jumper from 17 feet with 2.1 seconds left in overtime to win it for North Babylon in the Hoops To Remember Tournament at Herricks on Saturday. McPherson, who had 23 points and five steals, hit two free throws with 20 seconds left in regulation to tie the score at 56.

McPherson, who has received interest from many Big East schools, had 35 points, 13 rebounds, 10 steals, four assists, and three blocks in a 74-51 win over Ward Melville tonight.

"Right now, she's the best player on Long Island," Petre said. "People looked at her as just a scorer. That short changed her. She can do everything. She realizes she's the primary option and has raised her level of play."