Great Neck South's Jesse Tricario a force down low against Long Beach
Jesse Tricario of Great Neck South, right, looks to drive to the net as Shaquille Johnson of Long Beach pressure him on defense during the third quarter of a Nassau Conference AA-III boys basketball game at Long Beach High School on Friday. Credit: James Escher
If you take a look at the Great Neck South boys basketball team, you can easily pick out which one the team affectionately calls “Big Jesse.”
Jesse Tricario, the 6-6 center, scored 16 points in the paint to lead the Rebels to a 60-44 win over host Long Beach on Friday night in a Nassau Conference AA-III game.
The senior had only six points at halftime but helped deny any potential Long Beach comeback attempt by scoring eight points in the fourth quarter.
“We made it a point to bring the ball inside and take advantage of our [size] advantage,” Tricario said. “We put the emphasis on it, I told my guys and they got the ball to me.”
Every Great Neck South starter scored in a 20-point first quarter, which included 11 points in the first three minutes.
Jesse Roggendorf had three steals by halftime and finished with 14 points, seven rebounds, four steals and a block. His twin brother, John Roggendorf, added 10 points and nine rebounds.
“They get along well together even though they have totally different personalities,” coach Mike Holleran said. “It’s great for a coach because you need that energy and lightheartedness sometimes. They understand each other well, like a married couple.”
Both Roggendorfs helped hold Long Beach to its lowest offensive day since a 59-44 loss to East Meadow on Dec. 13, with nonstop pressure from Jesse while John provided strength against driving opponents.
“After holding them to 21 points [in the first half], we knew we could do the same thing in the second half,” Holleran said. “It all starts with defense, and luckily we were able to make some big plays at the end.”
Long Beach’s Mike Main had 18 points as the Marines fell to 10-7 overall and 5-6 in conference play. Long Beach struggled from the free-throw line, going 8-for-20.
Holleran said the team emphasizes inside-out scoring, which draws defenders into John Roggendorf or Tricario, who can kick out a pass to a teammate if the layup isn’t available.
It continues to work for a Rebels team that already has clinched a playoff berth and improved to 15-3 overall and 11-1 in conference play.
Tricario said the Rebels are staying focused on the remaining regular-season games. A Feb. 10 game against East Meadow could have major seeding implications.
Michael Sicoli covers high school sports for Newsday. He graduated from Quinnipiac in 2022 and left with a master’s degree in sports journalism in 2023.
