Stunning ending for No. 2 South Side

Lights-out shooting by Great Neck North in last Thursday’s Nassau Class A boys’ basketball playoff opener made for a disappointing end to a successful season for South Side.

The 15th–seeded Blazers drained a remarkable 13 of 16 three-point attempts and sent the No. 2 Cyclones home with a stunning 71-59 victory before a packed gym at South Side. Senior Jacob Aghelian scored a career-high 27 points, hitting all six of his shots from behind the arc, and freshman Alec Ludwig added 19 for the visitors.

“There were times we didn’t execute well, but overall I thought we played a solid game,” Cyclones coach Jerry D’Angelo said. “They just didn’t miss. Some threes they hit were five or six feet behind the line, and we contested all of them. It was just an incredible display of shooting.”

South Side, which finished 13-5, got 19 points from Conference A-II Player of the Year, junior forward Ryan Spadaford, 15 from junior point guard Darren Nickelson and 10 from senior guard Kevin Waxon.

“Every time we got close, they hit a big shot,” D’Angelo said.

The Cyclones, who held Sewanhaka to 38 points in their Conference A-II clinching victory Feb. 11, trailed Great Neck North 16-11 after the first quarter and 37-29 at halftime.

“It’s not how we wanted the season to end,” D’Angelo said. “We accomplished a lot with a junior-heavy roster and we have a lot to look forward to next season.”

Spadaford, who averaged 18.7 points per game, earned All-County honors along with Nickelson. Fellow juniors Rob Akeson and Kevin Coyle were selected All-Conference. 

Lonergan, Wallace pace Lady Cyclones

Senior Megan Lonergan had 15 points and 10 rebounds while splitting time between center and point guard last Friday night as No. 3 South Side advanced in the Nassau Class A girls’ basketball playoffs with a 42-33 win over No. 14 Island Trees.

Junior guard Caitlin Wallace, who recently returned from a three-week absence due to an ankle injury, added 10 points and six assists, and senior forward Christina Merrifield had eight points and eight rebounds for the Lady Cyclones, who improved to 14-4 and advanced to meet No. 11 Sewanhaka in the quarterfinals.

“The game had a faster pace than what we wanted, but we made some adjustments and gained a little control,” South Side coach Katelyn Dunn said. “We respect the athleticism of Island Trees.”

Dunn experimented with Lonergan bringing the ball up the floor in the second quarter and didn’t sway from the idea in the second half. In addition, South Side’s defense held Island Trees’ Maggie Milonakis to five second-half points after she netted 11 in the first half.