Spartans secure conference title

With a clear path to the rim as the final seconds ticked off the clock, senior Chiazam Nwankwo put a thunderous exclamation point on Elmont’s 74-53 victory over Westbury on Feb. 3, which clinched the Nassau Conference AA-III boys’ basketball title. Nwankwo’s two-handed dunk at the buzzer provided the finishing touch for the Spartans, who won for the 14th time in 15 games.

“It was a fun game,” said Nwankwo, who led all scorers with 19 points. “The last time we played, it was really close. Westbury is a strong team and great competition. We knew we had to beat them again if we wanted to win the conference.”

Senior 6-foot-7 center Pauly Paulicap had a season-best performance for Elmont — which improved its record to 10-0 in the conference — with 17 points and 16 rebounds, while junior Travis Robinson-Morgan added 14 points. Westbury, which had three players foul out midway through the fourth quarter, got 13 points from Jonathan Dean and a dozen from Darius Young.

“This was a huge test,” Spartans head coach George Holub said. “We know we’re going to see some of the big boys from Conference I and II in the playoffs. Hopefully we’ll be tough enough to take them on. If this game is any indication, it looks like we’ll be ready.”

The Spartans, who are guaranteed a top-three seed as well as a first-round bye in the Nassau Class AA playoffs, set to begin on Thursday, trailed by a point after the first quarter but doubled up the Green Dragons in the second and held a 32-23 halftime advantage. Elmont got baskets from six different players in the second quarter, capped by a Paulicap layup.

“This whole season is about trust,” Holub said. “I have to trust the five I’ve got out there, and they have to trust each other.

“We can’t get it done with five or six guys,” he added. “We need contributions from everyone. It’s always about the next guy up. Some might score more than others, but some do things that are just as important as scoring.”