“I thought we might have another big comeback in us,” said South Side coach Jerry D’Angelo, whose team battled back from 10 points down to beat Massapequa in the opening round behind freshman Alex Sorensen’s 25 points. “Our guys never quit,” he added. “We just couldn’t get over that hump. They beat us on the boards with their size, and hit some key shots.”

“We’re just starting to get healthy and figure things out,” D’Angelo noted. “Some teams may be a little further along than us right now, but we have more room for improvement over the next week or two.”

A three-pointer by Arthur regained momentum and ignited a nine-point run for Kellenberg, which took a 55-43 lead into the fourth. “We’re playing well, but we’re still a work in progress,” McCutcheon said.

Juniors Paul Pandolfi and Matt Pandolfi added 12 and nine points, respectively, for the Cyclones, who return to Conference A-I action Jan. 3 when they travel to Jericho for a 7 p.m. tipoff. It’s a rematch of last year’s Nassau Class A championship game won by South Side, 64-51.