South Side continues to roll

A little adversity doesn’t seem to be standing in the way of South Side’s quest for the Nassau Conference A-II boys’ basketball title.

With only a handful of playing time going to seniors following the loss of guard Kevin Waxon to a broken forearm, the Cyclones have ripped off three straight victories without their main perimeter threat and stand undefeated midway through the conference schedule. Last Friday, they pulled out a 58-56 win over visiting Sewanhaka on junior point guard Darren Nickelson’s putback with three seconds remaining.

“It was one of those games where no lead was safe,” coach Jerry D’Angelo said after South Side improved to 6-0 in Conference A-II and 8-3 overall. “It’s the second straight game we were down by a decent margin going into the fourth quarter. It was back and forth all night. Our guys battled and found a way to pull it out.”

Junior Ryan Spadaford continued his torrid scoring pace for the Cyclones with a game-high 27 points. He sank nine field goals and eight free throws. One of his rare misses came on their last possession. Junior Justin Rhodes (nine points) nearly tapped in the rebound, but Nickelson made the third time a charm.

“You don’t get too many chances to beat a team of South Side’s caliber on its own court,” Sewanhaka coach Dan Reece said. “Even in defeat, I think a game like this can build confidence.”

The Indians (3-2, 6-3) took a seven-point lead into the final quarter but five minutes later faced a double-digit deficit to overcome after the hosts exploded for an 18-2 spurt. A three-point play by senior center Shella Adeniran with 50 seconds remaining tied it at 56.

“We’re still adjusting to getting into a flow without Kevin,” D’Angelo, referring to the absence of Waxon, who averaged better than 16 points in the first seven games before suffering the injury on Jan. 4 that is expected to sideline him at least through the regular season. “We definitely miss his offense and leadership, and he was emerging as one of our top defenders as well,” he added. “He’s still at every practice and doing whatever he can to help.”

Junior Kevin Coyle has raised his game to another level during Waxon’s absence, D’Angelo noted, with 36 points in three games including 15 apiece in wins over Lynbrook and Lawrence. “He’s a very good three-point shooter and has allowed us to keep defenses honest,” D’Angelo said.

The performance of Rhodes against Sewanhaka is likely to earn him additional playing time in the not-too-distant future, perhaps as soon as this Friday at Bethpage at 7:30 p.m. “He gave us about three solid minutes in the first half and knocked down a shot,” D’Angelo said. “It warranted giving him another run. He started the fourth quarter and ended up with seven more points. He had a real impact.”

In a 67-62 come-from-behind win over Lawrence on Jan. 11, Nickelson (20 points) and Spadaford (16) each had eight points in the fourth to lead the Cyclones’ rally.