Rocks top Owls in 74th meeting

Senior Matt Fuller scored a career-high 17 points and pulled down 11 rebounds to lead East Rockaway to a 61-55 victory over neighborhood rival Lynbrook in the annual Friendship Games on Dec. 11.

It was the 74th meeting between the two teams. The Rocks have won two straight, and three of the last four, in the series that dates back to 1936.

Senior Enrico Magliocchi added seven points off the bench for the Rocks, who improved to 2-0. The Owls, who fell to 1-3, were led by senior forward Pete Lecce’s game-high 21 points.

East Rockaway coach Joe Lores was proud of Fuller. “Matt is a terrific example of what it means to persevere on the basketball court,” Lores said. “He’s worked very hard to improve his game, and now he’s seeing the fruits of his labor. He played a terrific game. I couldn’t be happier for him.”

The opening quarter was all Fuller. The 6-foot-5 center scored eight points and set the tone by blocking three shots in the opening eight minutes as the Rocks ran out to a 12-9 lead.

It was typical Rocks-Owls in the second quarter. The lead changed hands four times, and neither team led by more than three points. After back-to-back buckets by East Rockaway senior Andrew Bashford (10 points, eight rebounds), Lecce nailed a three-pointer to tie the score at 24 as the teams headed to the locker room.

The teams continued to trade baskets in the third quarter before East Rockaway began to put some distance between them. Senior Mike Castellano and junior Michael Lores each scored four points in the quarter as the visitors took a 42-34 lead after three. Six Rocks scored in the quarter.

It looked like the Rocks were set to run away with the game early in the final quarter. A conventional three-point play by Magliocchi energized the crowd and gave East Rockaway its biggest lead of the game at 49-38. 

But back came the green-and-gold. Lynbrook went on a 9-2 run to cut the lead to 51-49; however the Owls would get no closer. Sophomore David McClure (eight points, four assists) hit three free throws in the final minute to seal the victory. Freshman guard Michael McVeigh scored 10 points.

Lady Owls victorious
As expected, the Lynbrook Lady Owls topped the East Rockaway Lady Rocks in the first game. Brooke Gerstman scored a game-high 13 points as Lynbrook improved to 3-0 with a convincing 47-15 victory. Jen Fay added eight points. Danielle Amaya had seven points and grabbed 10 boards.

Gerstman is off to a terrific start. The junior guard is averaging 23 points per game despite playing less than a half of two of the three games. She scored a career-high 33 and was named the tournament’s MVP in a 62-55 win over North Shore in the championship game of the Wantagh Winter Tournament.