Will Casseus' team-leading 16 points lead East Meadow to eighth straight win in boys basketball

Will Casseus of East Meadow elevates to pass crosscourt during a Nassau Conference AAA-II boys basketball game against Herricks on Saturday at East Meadow. Credit: Peter Frutkoff
There were 13 games behind them and just seven to go, including five on their basketball court, starting with Saturday’s game against Herricks. But from Tom Rottkamp’s point of view, this was the season’s second-half tipoff for these Jets from East Meadow.
“We’ve been on the road so much, so we looked at the last seven and said, ‘That’s the second half of our season,’ ” the Jets’ coach said. “We want to be dominant at home, and it started today with all the same energy and focus that we’re looking for no matter who the opponent is.”
Wow, did they dominate. They won their eighth straight, an 80-33 Nassau AAA-II victory over a Herricks team that brought along Long Island’s leading scorer, Akshar Sabarad.
“They shot the lights out,” Highlanders coach Larry Steimer said.
So why in the “first half of the season” did the Jets play 10 of the 13 away from the comforts of home?
“Because the county finals aren’t held at East Meadow,” Rottkamp said. “You have to learn to win on the road.”
The Jets moved to 11-3 overall and 6-1 in AAA-II. The confidence of this team has grown. Rottkamp traced that to the three games before this one, winning at Farmingdale, Wyandanch and Westbury.
“The confidence is very high,” point guard Will Casseus said. “We’re a good team. Our chemistry is building up. So we feel like we can make it far in the playoffs.”
Casseus’ development has been helping. This time, the 5-11 senior delivered a team-leading 16 points, including four threes, and seven assists.
“I started building up more confidence after we started winning,” Casseus said. “As I see my teammates doing good, I play better, too.”
Herricks led 9-7. Then the game completely turned. It was 44-16 by halftime. The margin moved to 50 in the fourth.
Sabarad was a focus for the Jets. They began with a box-and-one, then switched to a 1-3-1 zone in the second quarter, trying to stay aware of where he was and to be aggressive.
The 6-3 senior forward still finished with 21. Sabarad is averaging 27.5, up from 17.4 last season. He’s taking pride in leading the scoring race.
“It means a lot to me because I’ve always put in the work during the summers,” Sabarad said. “When coach Steimer came last year, that was the first year I really played. So that 17 was good for me. And now this year, I want it even more. So I worked even harder during the summer to try and come back and help my team win.”
The Highlanders, coming off two sub-.500 seasons, fell to 9-6 overall and 2-5 in AAA-II. Despite what happened in this game, Sabarad has helped them improve.
“He knows his importance to us,” Steimer said. “He comes out and works hard every day. He’s loved by his teammates. That’s why they’re always trying to look to get him the ball. Akshar is a very smart player. We’re very fortunate to have him at Herricks.”