Mistakes costly for South Side

Routine turnovers and missed free throws in the third quarter ultimately led to South Side’s 66-63 loss to Kellenberg in the championship game of the Cyclones Holiday Tournament on Dec. 29.

Though South Side rallied from an eight-point deficit and led 53-48 midway through the fourth quarter after blowing a modest halftime lead, the Firebirds used a second double-digit spurt to steal the win. Kevin Bowles paced Kellenberg with 19 points, while the hosts were led by Ryan Spadaford’s 19. 

The defeat snapped a three-game winning streak for the Cyclones (4-3), who pulled away from MacArthur in the tournament opener behind Spadaford’s double-double (19 points, 13 rebounds) and Kevin Waxon’s game-high 21 points.

“It’s difficult to beat anyone when you commit 22 turnovers and miss 11 free throws,” South Side coach Jerry D’Angelo said. “In a three-point game, it’s easy to see where we lost it. We have some things to reflect on and correct.

“We’ve always had quality teams participate in our tournament, and we always play the toughest non-league schedule we can find,” he added. “I like to see us challenged early in the season. It only helps down the road.”

Kellenberg enjoyed runs of 12-0 and 11-0 in the third and fourth quarters, respectively. Rob Gomiela added 13 points and Shakir Moore-Ellis chipped in 10 for the Firebirds, who beat Farmingdale in the tournament opener. 

Behind Waxon’s 14 points and gritty work under the boards, the Cyclones kept Kellenberg at an arm’s length throughout the first half and led 32-28 at intermission. But after outscoring MacArthur by a 23-11 margin in the third quarter just 24 hours earlier, South Side was uncharacteristically flat for the start of the second half. 

“What bothered me most about the turnovers to start the third quarter was Kellenberg didn’t press us,” D’Angelo said. “It was simple things like travels and having passes slip right through our hands.” 

The Firebirds scored the first dozen points of the second half and led by four after Tom Madelmayer opened the final quarter with a trey, but they had to withstand a nine-point spurt by the Cyclones that put the hosts up five. Marco Martino was clutch down the stretch for Kellenberg with a pair of threes.

“It was an up-and-down game,” D’Angelo said. “At times, we’ve shown how young we really are. We need to be a little more consistent and a little more balanced.”

Spadaford, Waxon (17) and Darren Nickelson (10), the only players to start all seven games for South Side, combined for 75 percent of its points against Kellenberg. The trio has done a fine job putting the ball in the basket consistently, said D’Angelo, who has yet to settle on a rotation.

“I’m trying to figure out which five guys will give us the best start and which two or three can give us the best sparks off the bench,” D’Angelo explained. “We’ve got an interesting two weeks coming up.”

The top four challengers in Conference A-II—Hewlett, Sewanhaka, Lawrence, and Lynbrook—take on the Cyclones over a 12-day span.