Mepham fends off Long Beach

Posted

Senior center Jordan Jones scored 15 points, including seven straight in the second quarter to key a 15-point run in Mepham’s 56-43 victory over visiting Long Beach in a Nassau Conference AA/A-III boys’ basketball game on Tuesday night.

It was the third consecutive conference win in as many games for the Pirates (8-2 overall), who pulled away down the stretch after their 17-point lead was trimmed to 45-40 with 5:15 remaining. All but one of senior Jake Santiago’s 13 points came from behind the arc, while junior Nah’jel Sands added 10 points. The Marines (0-4 in AA/A-III, 1-10 overall) got 11 points from junior Tristan Groh and 11 from sophomore LaShawn Hankins.

“We’ve played well as a group and carried over the positive feeling from last season,” Mepham head coach Pat Fallon said. “We’re glad to be out to a 3-0 start in the conference, but we realize it’s a long road.”

Both teams struggled from the foul line. The Pirates were 10 of 19, while Long Beach shot 5-for-17.

While Mepham has the look of a team capable of challenging for the conference title, Long Beach is in the midst of a rebuilding mode with no seniors in its starting lineup. “We’re going to be underdogs in every game, but the kids come to work hard every day and we’re improving,” Marines head coach Scott Martin said. “We’re doing some things that young teams tend to do, but we’ll continue to work through them.”

Junior Matteo Camarda scored all seven of his points in the first quarter to help Long Beach stay close early. Mepham led 12-10 after eight minutes before stepping on the gas in the second quarter thanks in large part to Jones’ play in the paint. The hosts exploded for 15 straight points and led 29-12 after a running left-hander in the lane by Sands.

“We’re confident when the ball is in the hands of Nah’jel and Jeremy [Lissade],” Fallon said. “They’re interchangeable guards.”

The Marines crept within 13 at halftime but saw Hankins, their leading scorer, saddled with three fouls and on the bench to start the second half. Once Hankins returned three minutes into the third quarter, Long Beach’s offense clicked.

“LaShawn is doing a lot of good things for us and needs to make sure the other guys get involved,” Martin said of Hankins, who scored eight points in the third quarter as the visitors got within 44-34 heading into the fourth after a pair of Groh baskets.

Long Beach scored six of the first seven points of the fourth and were within two possessions after a basket by junior Richard Lilly. However, the Pirates used a 10-0 run to seal the deal. Santiago’s fourth trey of the night with 2:22 left was the dagger.

“Jake’s been shooting very well from the outside,” Fallon said. “He’s got 40 three-pointers on the season.”

The teams meet again Feb. 4 at Long Beach at 12 p.m.