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Alisa Blalock of St. Mary's dribbles to the net during...

Alisa Blalock of St. Mary's dribbles to the net during a CHSAA girls basketball game against Holy Trinity on Friday at St. Mary's. Credit: Dawn McCormick

Alisa Blalock was down her running mate with Taylor Barbot, a Newsday All-Long Island selection the season prior, out with an ankle injury. The senior guard knew it was up to her to set the tone on the court and bring the energy on the offensive and defensive end.

She certainly delivered.

Blalock scored 32 points to lead host St. Mary’s to a 65-49 victory over Holy Trinity in CHSAA girls basketball Friday night. Blalock, who received the nickname ‘A-Boogie’ in the seventh grade, was in a groove from the opening whistle.

"I felt like until [Taylor] comes back, I’m going to take over," Blalock said. "I take a lot of pride in my game. I just want to have fun out there and not get down on myself."

The 5-6 guard scored 21 points in the first half as St. Mary’s opened a 32-23 lead at halftime. Blalock plays with great energy and can drive to the basket, shoot from beyond the arc and create plays for herself and others. But much of what she does starts on the defensive end.

"I just want to make sure my defense is [strong] first," she said. "My offense comes secondary."

Blalock also plays with a certain Steph Curry flair. Beyond her strong three-point shooting (she sank seven Friday), Blalock taps her chest after each made shot as a celebration with a close family member, just like the NBA’s elite shooter on Golden State.

"We needed her to step up for us today to be successful and she did," coach Kevin White said. "The other kids feed off her energy. When she’s at a certain level, the rest of the girls feed off that."

Tara Murray added 15 points and Taryn Barbot — Taylor’s twin sister — added 14 points for St. Mary’s (4-1). Kaitlyn Benedict had 19 points for Holy Trinity (2-2).

The Gaels outscored Holy Trinity 33-26 in the second half.

"Defense is a big part of our team," Taryn Barbot said. "We use our defense to get into offense and that’s how our energy gets going."

St. Mary’s fell to Our Lady of Mercy, 52-47, in last season’s CHSAA championship game despite the Gaels entering the playoffs as the top seed. They haven’t forgotten that feeling.

"Last year we fell short," Blalock said. "But this year we can take it."

"We really want to win states this year," Barbot added. "We want to get it back after losing last year."

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