Elmont stopped in semifinals

Spartans finish 17-2 after loss to Uniondale

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Elmont picked the worst possible time to play its worst game.

The Spartans, who had won 17 of 18 going into last Friday’s Nassau Class A boys’ basketball semifinal matchup against Uniondale, managed just 5 points in each of the first and third quarters on the way to suffering a season-ending 55-41 defeat before a crowd of 1,000 at Hofstra.

Senior Michael Turnbull scored 11 of his season-high 20 points in the fourth quarter to lead the third-seeded Knights, who began to pull away midway through the third, when Elmont seniors Chiazam Nwankwo and Pauly Paulicap and junior Travis Robinson-Morgan were relegated to the bench with three fouls apiece.

“They were just tougher than us,” Elmont head coach George Holub said of the Knights. “We had a great season, but we didn’t bring it tonight.

“We’ve got to hand it to them,” he added. “They put their stamp on the game early and never let us get into any kind of rhythm. Our screens were weak, and we didn’t shoot well from the line or from the field.”

Najee Peters added 15 points and 14 rebounds for Uniondale, which advanced to face top-seeded Baldwin in the championship game — the sixth time in nine seasons that the Knights and Bruins will battle for the title. The second-seeded Spartans got 15 points from senior Matthew Graham, 8 from Robinson-Morgan and 6 points and seven blocks from freshman KC Ndefo.

“We wanted to split the court, because they’re so good at penetrating,” Uniondale head coach Tom Diana said. “I thought our defensive rotations were excellent. They didn’t shoot well. To hold Elmont to 41 points is a great defensive effort.”

Elmont trailed 25-20 at halftime, despite holding Uniondale to six field goals. The Knights were 13 for 15 from the line in the first half, and finished 19 for 26 (73 percent) in a game that featured 51 fouls. “Both teams were in foul trouble,” Diana said. “It seemed like we were both in the bonus all night.”

Uniondale led by as many as 8 points in the first half, but Graham netted a rare 4-point play and Ndefo threw down a slam to give the Spartans a spark in the second quarter. However, it was all Knights after a Robinson-Morgan basket and a free throw by Nwankwo cut the margin to 25-23.

With 4:37 remaining in the third, Elmont had three starters on the bench in foul trouble, and senior Adam Colwell picked up his third personal with 1:53 to go in the quarter. A put-back in the paint by Peters ignited a 14-2 Uniondale run, capped by Shomari Redd’s 3-pointer on the opening possession of the fourth quarter, and its lead swelled to 14.

“There weren’t any surprises,” Holub said. “They beat us to all the loose balls and did a much better job converting free throws. We made a few small runs in the fourth quarter, but every time we did the Turnbull kid hurt us.”