Oceanside clings to playoff hopes

Oceanside’s chances of qualifying for the Nassau Class AA boys’ basketball playoffs grew dimmer last Friday night when it dropped a fourth straight game, falling 59-50 at Farmingdale.

The Sailors were within a possession with 28 seconds remaining in regulation but Dalers’ eighth-grade phenom Dylan Mingo’s impeccable performance from the foul line in crunch time sealed the outcome. Mingo hit all 13 of his free throw attempts on the evening and finished with a game-high 26 points as Farmingdale (7-5 in Conference AA-1) punched its playoff ticket.

“We’ve had a tough two weeks,” Oceanside head coach Ed Risener said. “We’ve battled every night and lost some close ones. We’re searching for a win right now and we have to win-out to make playoffs.”

Junior Logan Lyson (17) and senior Liam Hannon (12) scored in double figures for the Sailors, who slipped to 4-7 in AA-1 and 6-10 overall. Heading into this week’s action, the only road to the postseason for Risener’s squad is with wins over Port Washington, Uniondale and first-place Syosset. The latter is the only remaining undefeated boys’ team in all of Nassau.

“Would we rather be 7-4 instead of 4-7? Of course,” Risener said. “We start four juniors and we’re still learning how to win and looking for that game where we get three or four kids scoring in double figures. The good thing is, we still control our own destiny. We don’t have to rely on anyone else. It all comes down to what Oceanside does.”

The Sailors scored just 11 points over the final 16 minutes Jan. 26 when they dropped the first meeting against Farmingdale at home, 58-36, after leading 25-20 at halftime. For the rematch, Risener switched from primarily a zone defense to man-to-man and saw better results at both ends of the floor.

“We played really well defensively and also had improved offensive flow,” Risener said. “Logan and Liam did a nice job in the paint. They’re interchangeable at power forward and center, and work in tandem.”

Oceanside led 14-10 after a strong opening quarter but was unable to keep the momentum going in the second. Mingo, Ryan Woodland (10 points) Jordan Smikle (9), Jaden McFarlane and Jake Mangio all chipped in as Farmingdale awoke and grabbed a 26-21 halftime lead.

The Sailors hung close but couldn’t vault back in front. Risener said shooting 1-for-13 from behind the arc was uncharacteristic and a deciding factor along with Mingo’s perfect display from the line.

“If we don’t make the playoffs, we’ll look back on these last two games,” Risener said. “Right now, all we can do is look ahead.”

Oceanside which features junior Jacob Raphan at point guard and classmates Anthony Rodriguez and Matt Amitrano in the starting backcourt as well, lost a 57-55 heartbreaker at home to Hempstead on Feb. 1. The Sailors couldn’t make a 14-point halftime lead stand up. Hannon scored 16, while Raphan and Rodriguez added 14 apiece. Rodriguez sank four treys and leads the team with 31 threes.