Malverne tops Oyster Bay for Class B crown

The cry from the Malverne bench could be hear loud and clear: "Three up, three up."

That was the call last night when Malverne coach Darrol Lopez wanted his team to exert its 3-2 fullcourt pressure.

Malverne prides itself on its defense. And that was the story as the No. 1 Mules rode its fullcourt pressure defense to a 67-38 win over third-seeded Oyster Bay in the Nassau Class B final at C.W. Post.

It was the fifth straight Class B championship for Malverne and its sixth in the last seven years. The Mules (14-5) advanced to the Long Island Class B championship game and will take on the winner of Wednesday's Suffolk Class B final between Center Moriches and Wyandanch.

Malverne's defense was the talk of the first half. The Mules forced 17 turnovers and led 32-9 at the break.

Oyster Bay tried to make a game of it in the second as Eric Seaman, who led the Baymen with eight points, and William Treiber hit consecutive threes to cut Malverne's lead to 33-15.

But that was it for the Baymen as the Mules ripped off a 10-0 run and went ahead 43-15 with 3:32 left in the third. DaShawn Moorer, who had 31 points, finished things off for Malverne with a three-pointer as time expired in the third to give the Mules a 53-18 lead.

It wasn't all roses for Malverne as its offense struggled to find its way early. The Mules shot just 2-for-18 from the field and didn't get their first field goal until the 4:41 mark of the first.

The offensive woes didn't matter because Malverne's defense never wavered. The Mules forced 11 first-quarter turnovers, nine coming off steals. Oyster Bay (12-8) didn't score its first points until Jake Robinson drained a 15-footer with 3:13 to go in the first quarter.

Robinson's jumper ignited a bit of a run as the Baymen found the basket three more times and trailed 12-9 at the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter proved to be the breaking point for Oyster Bay, which shot 0-for-14 from the field and failed to score. The Mules' offense improved a bit in the second quarter as they shot 9-for-17 for a 32-9 halftime lead.

Moorer paced Malverne's first-half attack with 13 points. Backcourt mate Cory Alexander had seven points in the first half.

But offense has always been a secondary priority for the Mules. Everything starts with its defense. Paced by an athletic three-guard rotation of Alexander, Moorer and Xavier Bernard, Oyster Bay had a difficult time getting the ball over half-court and into its offense.