Calhoun falls short at Uniondale

The Calhoun Colts were hoping to continue their comeback season, but had a tough assignment as they traveled to Uniondale to take on the defending Nassau Class AA champion Knights in the first round of the boys’ basketball playoffs.

The Colts hung tough but ultimately dropped a 64-48 decision last Friday.

The season marked a huge turnaround for Calhoun, winning just one conference game a year ago, as it finished 9-5 in conference play, good for third place in AA-III.

“It was an awesome season,” said Calhoun coach Jay Kreutzberger. “We emerged as a program to be reckoned with. I think we carved out a reputation as a tough team to play that no one is really looking to play.”

Uniondale’s Roderick Epps led all scorers with 23 points, while Shaquille Mosley chipped in 16. Senior John Wigand led Calhoun with 18 points, and junior Danny Trepel also hit double-figures with 12.

“Overall, this year has been a big turnaround from last year,” Wigand said. “Going to the playoffs, that’s all we wanted.”

Over 200 in attendance watched as Uniondale jumped to a 14-3 lead, and it looked early on like Calhoun would have no answer for Uniondale’s offensive attack. The Knights expanded the lead to 32-14 in the second quarter, their biggest lead at any point in the game, but Calhoun would respond with a 9-2 run, and after a field goal by Wigand, trailed 34-23. The mini-run was curtailed, however, when Epps hit a three-pointer just before the buzzer to put Uniondale up 37-23 at the half.

Calhoun continued its resurgence in the third, and cut into the deficit from the free throw line. Junior Chad Fuschillo was fouled shooting a three-pointer, and subsequently hit all three free throws. Trepel then followed with back to-back trips to line, and after sinking all four, Calhoun trailed 45-38, the closest it had been since the first quarter.

However, Epps responded with a trey to put Uniondale back up by 10. The bucket reignited the Knights, who rediscovered their offense in the fourth quarter, and pulled away to take the game by double digits.

“I thought we were a little up-and-down tonight,” Uniondale coach Tom Diana said. “But late, we showed poise and relaxed and ran our stuff and I thought that was the difference in the game.”

Despite the loss, it was a memorable season for Calhoun, rebounding from a disappointing 2009-10 campaign.

“This is definitely something I’ll remember,” said senior captain Andrew Lief. “We’re looking to leave a legacy here, and build on it for the next years to come.”

The team will graduate five seniors, including Wigand, Lief, Devon Pazmino, Joe Freda and Justin Fields, and Kreutzberger believes that the effort his squad put forth will set the tone for years to come.

“The kids all have heart,” Kreutzberger said. “They all give you everything they have, and that’s what makes it fun to coach them. We have a nice culture going at Calhoun and hopefully we can continue it and win some playoff games.”