South Side boys basketball's John Pericolosi leads Cyclones to final in second game back from injury
John Pericolosi of South Side backs into Antonio Giannopoulos of Manhasset under the basket during a Nassau Class AA semifinal playoff game at on Monday. Credit: David Meisenholder
South Side senior John Pericolosi broke his dominant left hand against Manhasset in January, only returning against Long Beach on Feb. 26. On Monday, he faced that same Manhasset boys basketball team under the lights at Farmingdale State.
Throughout the game, that hand was swiping steals with the vigor of a kid ripping away gift wrapping on Christmas morning. And right afterward, that hand was high-fiving a massive swarm of South Side fans who engulfed the team on the way to its locker room, having just watched Pericolosi and the Cyclones reach a county final.
“It feels great, especially coming back for the playoffs [because] I didn’t know if I’d make it back in time,” Pericolosi said. “I got cleared, and I’m just happy to be able to contribute to the team again.”
Pericolosi had 20 points with 12 rebounds and seven steals, and senior Ryan Schmitt dominated the paint with 16 points, seven rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks in top-seeded South Side’s 55-45 win over No. 5 Manhasset in the Nassau Class AA semifinals.
South Side (19-3) faces No. 2 Roslyn in the championship game at 5 p.m. Saturday at Farmingdale State. Roslyn defeated No. 3 Garden City, 72-66, Monday night.
Both teams were tied at 29 with 3:15 left in the third quarter. Manhasset senior Pete Mastando — who has averaged over 27 points since February — had 22 points and seven rebounds.
“I was very pleased with their development,” Manhasset coach George Bruns said. “We lost four games this year, and we lost to what I think is the best team. We had a couple of lapses, and they got two real strong guys.”
South Side’s “constant pressure,” in the words of Pericolosi, forced contested shots and numerous Manhasset turnovers, which enabled South Side to go on an 18-3 run and give the Cyclones a 47-32 lead with 5:09 remaining.
Sophomore Kieran Vetter provided a five-point swing himself as he recorded a steal, finished a three-point play and scored a layup on the following possession. Vetter guarded Mastando in the second half, helping limit Manhasset (19-4) to six third-quarter points.
“He really has taken the initiative," South Side coach Jerry D’Angelo said. "We relied on him big when John was injured to be our best defender."
For Schmitt, he’ll captain this Cyclones team at least one more time with a “different feeling” than he had as a junior a year ago.
“We have something more to play for every game,” Schmitt said. “This is our whole season on the line right here; we don’t get a ‘next year.’ We’re trying to give it everything we got each game, really come out with a lot of intensity and leave it all on the floor. No excuses.”
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.
