Team effort puts top-seeded Elmont boys into the Nassau Class A semifinals

The Elmont boys showed again on Saturday that they are in on the secret of basketball: As long as the ball goes in the hoop, it doesn’t matter who shoots it.

Jayden Rayford (15 points) led 10 different scorers for the top-seeded Spartans in a resounding 73-35 victory over No. 9 Friends Academy in a Nassau A quarterfinal on Saturday. Gus Louis (13 points, six rebounds), Jonathan Maldonado (10 points), Jévon Santos (9 points, six assists) and Isiah Barnes (six points, four assists) helped position Elmont into the county final four for the 13th time in the last 14 years. The Spartans play No. 4 Jericho at 4 p.m. on Saturday at Farmingdale State.

Friends Academy (17-4) led 15-13 in the opening minutes of the second quarter after a successful 1-3-1 zone neutralized the Spartans’ offense. Then Maldonado found a hole and hit a three-pointer to spark a 20-2 run and Elmont took a 33-17 lead into halftime. Jordan Lawson and Maldonado scored seven points apiece in the quarter.

“Once we started hitting shots, we started moving the ball around, playing as a team more and everything started clicking,” Santos said. “We’re not a team that will have someone go for 30, we’d rather have five players with 10-plus points.”

Added Barnes: “[Friends Academy] came out hard in the beginning, and we needed that so we could turn it up.”

Alex Douglas’ three-point play got FA within 35-22 in the third quarter before another Spartans surge made it 51-23 after three. Elmont led by 34 after Gus Louis’ three-point play made it 60-26 with 5:07 left.

“We find the hot person,” said Barnes. “If you’re hot, we give you the ball.”

That’s the secret for Elmont. Next Saturday, Louis, Barnes and Santos will play in their third straight county semifinal. They lost the previous two by a combined nine points.

Elmont coach George Holub has a team of unselfish players that care only about winning.

“They know that the assist is worth just as much as the basket,” Holub said. “Now they are a year older, a year more mature, and they have another shot at it.”