Great Neck North rallies to beat Garden City in Nassau A-II boys basketball
Jackson Southerland of Great Neck North gets by Leonidas Vlogianitis of Garden City, for a basket in the first half of the game on Saturday at Great Neck North. Credit: Neil Miller
Long quiet on the boys basketball scene, something intriguing may be happening at Great Neck North.
One year removed from a season where they were thrilled just to get a postseason game, the Blazers may have experienced an evolutionary moment on Saturday. Trailing solid Garden City by seven points in the fourth quarter, the Great Neck North players put faith in one another, staged a gritty comeback and pulled out a 57-54 Nassau A-II victory on their home court.
The Blazers have a pair of signature players in 6-7 George Washington commit Luke Cronin and gifted sophomore guard Jackson Southerland. However, it was scrappy 5-4½ Eitan Zagari and quietly confident Doron Sedaghat that finally put them over the top.
The play call was “Fist Down” and Zagari looked to drive the lane. He spotted Sedaghat flashing to the wing and fired the ball over for a three-pointer with 2:24 left and a 56-54 advantage that was the final lead change of the game. The Blazers (9-3, 3-2) then united to hold Garden City to five straight empty possessions to complete a final 3:40 in which they didn’t allow a point.
“I knew that it would go in – it was a great throw to my pocket,” Sedaghat said. “I know my teammates trust me to make that shot.”
Asked about going to Sedaghat in a big moment rather than Cronin or Southerland, Zagari replied: “I trust everyone on my team . . . and it was his best shot.”
The comeback – a game-closing 14-4 run – was a true ensemble effort. Cronin had six points to start the burst and Southerland made a four-point play with 4:23 left for a 53-52 GNN lead. Zagari, however distinguished himself with ballhandling, offensive rebounds and great passes down the stretch. He finished with nine points, six assists, four rebounds and three steals.
“He has the most heart,” Cronin said of Zagari. “He’s the hardest worked I’ve ever seen.”
Southerland, a sophomore who transferred back to the district from powerhouse Christ the King High in Queens, finished with 21 points including four three-pointers and Cronin had 15 points and 11 rebounds for GNN. Leo Vlogianitis had 28 points and Quinn Long added 17 for Garden City (6-5, 2-2).
The Trojans typically play fundamentally sound basketball but missed 13 free throws and coach Jim Hegmann said “we didn’t make shots and we didn’t make free throws and you’re not going to win like that.”
Great Neck North isn’t exactly a name brand in hoops, but Cronin, in his fourth year on the varsity, thinks something special might be happening “because of the chemistry . . . this team is like brothers.”
Southerland said the key to the comeback was “this is a group that sticks together no matter the situation.”
Blazers coach Kevin Graham said he is finding this season rewarding “because we’ve been in our share of tough losses and it’s great to see a group that loves playing together win some tough games.”
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.
