South Side's win streak continues

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A well-executed defensive plan, a fast start and a near-capacity crowd propelled South Side to a 49-36 victory over Hewlett on Jan. 19 and into the driver’s seat in Nassau Conference A-II boys’ basketball.

Senior Ryan Prendergast scored 10 of his game-high 17 points in the opening quarter and senior Dami Awosika added 12 points and 10 rebounds as the Cyclones (11-2 overall, 6-1 in A-II) avenged a conference-opening loss to the Bulldogs (11-3, 4-3) and upped their winning streak to nine in a row.

“We got off to the quick start we were looking for and I thought our defensive effort was tremendous,” South Side head coach Jerry D’Angelo said. “Hewlett can hurt you in a lot of ways, but we neutralized their big scorers.” 

After combining for 49 points to lead the Bulldogs to a 73-58 win over the Cyclones on Dec. 19, senior Zach Bromfeld (12) and junior Alyjah Hill combined for only 17 in the rematch. The visitors shot 1-for-13 from three-point range and committed 17 turnovers.

“We’ve been having problems scoring the past few games,” Hewlett head coach Bill Dubin said. “We have to cut down on turnovers and hit outside shots. Teams are collapsing into a zone against us, and we’re going to have to make some threes or else we’re going to struggle.”

Much like it did in the conference opener when it scored the first seven points, South Side came out flying. The Cyclones fed off the crowd’s energy and built a 10-0 lead in four minutes behind intense defense, strong rebounding and Prendergast’s eight points. The Bulldogs chipped away at the deficit and crept within 15-10 in the early stages of the second quarter, but that was as close as they’d get.

“We’ve been down a lot in the first quarter, but this was the first time we didn’t find a way out of it,” Dubin said. “South Side played a strong game and the crowd made a difference. There’s a reason why home court advantage is called just that.”

Senior James Testa provided a spark for South Side in the second quarter and helped it reestablish a double-digit lead. He scored four points, including a nifty rebound and putback, fed Awosika for a backdoor layup and assisted on senior Pat Basile’s trey. It was 28-16 at halftime, and Hill, who entered the game averaging 20 points, was still looking for his first basket.

“We wanted to stop Hill from driving the lane and limit Bromfeld’s opportunities,” D’Angelo said. “They’re All-County kids and they gave us problems last time. I couldn’t be happier with how we handled them.”

Hill, who opened the second half with a basket, sank Hewlett’s only free throw of the night with 3:44 remaining to make it 40-28. Seniors Ryan McCarthy and Brandon Grayson, and junior Matt Trencheny got in on the fun for South Side with key baskets to keep the Bulldogs at an arm’s length.

“We still have room to grow,” D’Angelo said. “We only have two kids who came into the season with a good amount of varsity experience.”