Elmont cruises into Class AA final

A season after playing for the Nassau Class A boys’ basketball championship, Elmont steamrolled into the AA final with a convincing 66-42 win over No. 6 Hempstead in last Saturday’s semifinal at SUNY-Old Westbury.

The second-seeded Spartans raced to a double-digit lead after the first quarter and never looked back. They used their speed and depth to outscore the Tigers in all four quarters. Seniors Anthony Elechi (16 points), Dillon Williams (14) and Tyler Dechalus (10) all scored in double figures for head coach George Holub’s well-rounded team.

“We came out with a lot of defensive intensity,” Holub said. “That’s what I like to see. Defense is always our main concern. Fifty is the magic number. We feel if we hold a team to less than 50, we’ve got a great chance to win.”

Elechi (seven) and Williams combined for all but two of Elmont’s points in a 15-5 opening quarter. “I thought our defense gave us an edge,” said Williams, who pumped his fist after burying the second of back-to-back three-pointers early in the first for an 11-4 lead. “We’re happy to be going back to the finals.”

The Spartans will face top-seeded Baldwin (16-3) in the title game at Hofstra this Saturday at 1 p.m.

Hempstead, which staged a furious fourth-quarter rally to upset No. 3 Freeport by a point in the quarterfinals, was careless with the ball in the early going against Elmont and couldn’t convert high-percentage shots on possessions that didn’t end with a turnover.

“We started strong, but we knew they had a big comeback against Freeport and needed to stay focused throughout,” Holub said. “We did a nice job of maintaining the lead.” 

The Spartans stretched their lead to 31-15 by halftime. Junior Rahquan Scott, sophomore Reggie Pierre and freshman Tristan Brown all came off the bench to provide a spark, and the Tigers had no answer up front for Elechi and Dechalus. Scott had a pair of second-quarter baskets, Pierre an aggressive drive that resulted in a trip to the line and a point, and Brown gave Williams and senior point guard Robert Chambers a little breather.

“Our bench stepped up today,” Williams said.