Lynbrook holds off VSN

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The Lynbrook boys’ basketball team struggled out of the gate in their first season under head coach Jamie Adams. But if the Owls’ most recent matchup is any indication, the team may be beginning to turn a corner.

On Jan. 22, Lynbrook hosted Valley Stream North and battled hard to come away with a 52-50 win over the Spartans in a Conference A-IV game.

“The kids are really starting to buy into what we’re going to do and the things that are going to make us successful this year,” Adams said. “Tonight it was really just believing in each other that we could do it.”

The game went right down to the wire with VSN missing multiple shots in the final seconds that would have tied or won the game.

“We had plenty of looks,” Spartans head coach Dan Achatz said. “Their team just had more heart than ours tonight, and it was evident out there.”

With 2:39 remaining in the third quarter the Owls trailed 30-29. They then proceeded to go on an 11-3 run to end the quarter, which was capped off by an impressive buzzer beating three by Frank Boni Jr.

In the fourth quarter the Spartans fought their way back into the game, with Noah Shy leading the comeback efforts. The sophomore finished with a game-high 21 points. The visitors were able to pull within one point with 19 seconds remaining, but would never complete the comeback.

Boni Jr. proved to be a difference maker in the game. After a quiet first 16 minutes, the junior came alive after halftime, scoring 10 of his team’s 13 points in the third quarter.

“You can’t hold a good player down for that long, and Frank’s our guy,” Adams said.

Nate Flood and Jake Sandler also came up big for the Owls. Flood had four three-pointers in the contest, while Sandler was effective at distributing the ball and getting to the line.

The three-ball was crucial for Lynbrook, but according to Boni Jr. it was the team’s hard work on the inside that helped his team come away victorious against a bigger opponent in VSN. “We’re the smallest team in our conference,” Boni Jr. said. “So we have to box out hard, we have to go to the rim, and we have to get them in foul trouble.”

The loss was one of only a few disappointments the Spartans have had this season. After the loss VSN still holds a 9-4 overall record, and sits in a playoff spot in A-IV with a 3-3 mark. “We’ve been having a successful season,” Achatz said. “Now we got to learn to be resilient, and battle back and make our way to the playoffs.”

Lynbrook improved to 4-8, and is 2-4 in conference games. Both teams return to the court this Friday. North visits Roosevelt at 4:30 p.m., while the Owls host North Shore at 7 p.m.

“This was a great confidence builder,” Boni Jr. said. “We’re gonna come out harder next week against North Shore and try and get that third win in a row.”