Psyllos brothers help Manhasset top South Side

They’ve done it before. Many times in the backyard and a few times on high school lacrosse fields. But not on this stage.

So when Manhasset’s John Psyllos took a feed from his younger brother Marc Psyllos and scored with one second left in the first half to tie Tuesday night’s Nassau B semifinal score at Hofstra, it was a pretty cool moment.

“A dream come true,” John, a senior said.

“It was a little bit of luck on the bounce but I knew I could trust him to finish,” Marc, a freshman said.

Both brothers played even bigger roles in the Indians’ 12-7 victory over South Side. John scored three goals, while Marc had a goal and an assist, and perhaps most significantly, won 19 of 22 faceoffs to nullify the Cyclones’ strategy of slowing down the game.

“He’s a ball of energy out there,” Manhasset coach Keith Cromwell said of Marc Psyllos. “He took every draw and he gave us a boost.”

Manhasset (15-1) advances to next Tuesday’s county final at Hofstra at 6 p.m. against the winner of Wednesday’s Garden City-Hewlett game. South Side finished 10-8.

SEE PHOTOSNassau Class B semifinal: Manhasset vs. South Side

The Cyclones’ slow pace contributed to a manageable 6-5 deficit heading into the fourth quarter. But Manhasset scored three goals in 20 seconds to break it open. Aidan Mulholland, Marc Psyllos off a faceoff win and Nikko Falcone did the damage. “I knew we had it sealed after we scored those three goals,” John Psyllos said.

“I was waiting for it the whole game,” Cromwell said with a nervous laugh. “I credit Coach [Steve] DiPietro with a nice game plan. They slowed it down and they confused us for a while. But it was just a matter of time before we got to play our up-tempo game.”

Kevin Mack (one goal, three assists) and John Psyllos flourished in the faster pace. “John plays so well off the ball and guys just find him,” Cromwell said. “He shoots the heck out of the ball.”

Especially when his brother is the feeder.