Elmont gets wake-up call, then defeats Manhasset
Elmont celebrates its win over Manhasset in a Nassau boys basketball game at Elmont on Monday. Credit: Pablo Garcia Corradi
Elmont put a new spin on the ‘wake-up call’ on Monday afternoon.
The Spartans got a pre-playoff reminder from Manhasset that a good team playing an excellent game can defeat them. And they got that notice, and all the benefits that come from it, without having to suffer a loss.
The alarm went off for Elmont when the Indians threw the first punch by racing to a 15-point lead early in the second quarter. But the Spartans came around quickly. Their shooting stroke – ice cold as they missed all seven three-point attempts in the first quarter – warmed late in the second and they blew past visiting Manhasset late in the third quarter on the way to a 61-48 Nassau A-II victory.
Elmont (14-5, 12-0) earns the conference title with its ninth straight win and has a realistic shot at the top seeding for the Nassau Class A tournament when those are revealed on Tuesday. The Spartans and Long Beach are the county’s only Class A teams to go unbeaten in conference play.
“Manhasset is the first team to really hit back in a while,” Elmont coach George Holub said. “They played tough and shot well. They made us scramble. Getting tested late in the season is good for a team.”
“It was like a first for us this season in our gym,” said senior forward Jordan Lawson, who had 12 of his team-high 20 points in the second half. “We had to come back and we did. It’s reason to be confident going forward.”
“In our minds, we will be the top seed,” Louis added. “That’s how we feel right now.”
Junior forward Jonathan Maldanado had 14 points, Senior forward Gus Louis had 13 points – including seven in the critical third quarter – and Jévon Santos had four points and seven assists and Isiah Barnes had five points, four assists and a team-high seven rebounds for Elmont.
Senior guard Joe Busch had 22 points and senior forward Cole Zaffiro had 13 points and five assists for Manhasset (14-5, 10-2), which missed on its shot at a share of the conference but will be the tournament draw to defend its county title. The Indians were missing one of their top scorers Monday, 6-3 junior Ahmad Crowell, who was dealing with a personal matter.
Manhasset got a pair of three-pointers from Busch and another from senior guard Connor Dunphy and took a 17-4 lead after one quarter. When Liam Connor scored on a put-back with 7:02 left in the half, the Indians lead was 19-4.
“We couldn’t throw the ball in the ocean against their 3-2 [zone] in the first,” Santos said. “We got adversity there, but we were able to gather ourselves.”
“It was a punch in the mouth, but we were able to get us,” Barnes said.
In the final minute before halftime, Jayden Rayford made two three-pointers and Lawson made one as the Spartans closed to 26-23 at the break. Louis got them even with Manhasset twice and gave them their first lead by making a steal and going for a layup with 3:20 left in the third.
Those were the fourth and fifth points in a 16-3 run that closed the quarter. Barnes had had five points and two assists in the run and Maldonado capped it with a three-point play with 56.6 seconds in the quarter. Manhasset managed to cut it to seven twice in the fourth, but got no closer.
“It’s those last minutes of the first half and the first minutes of the second half,” Barnes said. “Those are what coach emphasizes. That’s where we have to execute.”
Roger Rubin returned to Newsday in 2018 to write about high schools, colleges and baseball following 20 years at the Daily News. A Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2011, he has covered 13 MLB postseasons and 14 NCAA Final Fours.
