Rams pick up defensive pace

Sophomore guard Tyree Glascoe had 18 points, six steals and dished out five assists, and senior Thomas Valerio added 13 points to lead visiting West Hempstead to a convincing 64-43 win over Glen Cove in a Conference A-III boys’ basketball matchup last Friday.

With the victory, West Hempstead (7-5, 4-3 in conference play) took sole possession of third place and inched closer to a playoff spot. Jan Carlos Brito had 11 rebounds as the Rams dominated the glass.

West Hempstead head coach Ed Cosgrove is happy with the progress, but believes his team’s best basketball is yet to come. “We’re playing better, but we still have to find a way to put it all together for four quarters,” Cosgrove said. “We always seem to have a spurt where we hurt ourselves. We’ve cut down on turnovers, and don’t give up as many easy baskets, but we haven’t found the consistency we need to succeed. We’re getting there.”

The victory comes on the heels of a 69-56 home loss to second-place Floral Park. The game pitted the vaunted offensive attack of the Knights, who came in averaging 80 points per game, and a stingy West Hempstead defense, which entered the contest allowing just 49 points per contest. 

Floral Park got off to a terrific start as senior Shamoy McIntosh scored 14 of his season-high 31 points in the first quarter helping the Knights to a 22-10 first quarter lead. The Rams fought back to close the gap to 32-29 at the break, but Justin Wilson (nine points) and Pete Alloca heated up as Floral Park broke the game wide open with a 26-10 third quarter. Brito and senior swingman Kijana Rogers and Brito each scored 12 points.

Cosgrove likes the effort he’s getting from the Rams on the defensive end. “Earlier in the season, we were giving up far too many easy baskets,” Cosgrove said. “We were turning the ball over or getting beat in transition. Now, we’re forcing teams to beat us by running their offense. If we keep holding teams under 50 points, and we get a little more consistent on offense, we should be in every game.”