East Meadow withstands VSC

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While East Meadow and Valley Stream Central brought identical 1-10 records into their Nassau Conference AA-II boys’ basketball clash on Jan. 12, there was no shortage of intensity, strong passing, and slick shooting from long range at Memorial JHS.  

Success from the foul line was another story for East Meadow, but that’s where senior J.P. Howell sealed the Jets’ 60-56 road victory by sinking 5 of 6 free throws in the final 47 seconds. Howell scored all 13 of his points in the second half, while sophomore Sultan Mizra poured in a game-high 22 to lead the visitors. Junior Ryan Germosen’s 14 points led Central, which got 12 off the bench from sophomore Armani O’Brady.

“I’m glad we were able to close it out, and we’re 2-3 in the conference now,” East Meadow head coach Bobby Kopp said. “We completely had the momentum early and built a big lead. We were pressing well, turning them over, making layups and having fun.

“Central made a couple of nice runs,” he added. “They’re a well-coached team and kept battling, but our kids are very resilient.”

The Eagles, who trailed by as many as 17 points in the first half and by 13 early in the fourth quarter after pulling even in the third, slipped to 0-4 in conference games. “We’re young, but this was a step in the right direction,” VSC head coach Hayward Alfred said. “We dug a hole, but our defensive effort got us back in it. We were more physical after the first quarter.” 

The Jets trailed only once, 5-4, and responded with 15 consecutive points — all from three-point land. Senior Nick Forrier got the spurt started with a trey and senior Kyle Liebel followed with four in a row. The visitors held a 20-7 lead after the opening quarter.

East Meadow’s largest cushion was 26-7 after consecutive baskets by Mizra early in the second. Central answered with 13 of the next 15 points, as O’Brady provided a huge spark off the bench with eight points in the quarter, to get within six at halftime. 

“Looking back, I took us out of our rhythm with substitutions at the wrong time,” Kopp said.

The second half began the same way the first ended, with Central junior Malcolm Carter hitting a three-pointer to keep the crowd buzzing. Five points from senior Khole Dock sandwiched around a basket by Howell had the game knotted at 30 just 2:30 into the third quarter. A putback by senior Will Ayers put East Meadow ahead for good, but the Eagles didn’t go quietly.

Mizra scored six points in the third and opened the fourth with a layup to give the Jets, who missed seven of their first eight free throws on the night, a 47-34 lead. Germosen, senior Elijah Robinson and sophomore Ahunna Okoko led a spirited 20-8 run to bring the Eagles within a point with 1:48 remaining, but they couldn’t get over the hump.

“Foul shooting aside, I thought we played pretty well,” Kopp said. “Whenever you win a conference game on the road, it’s big.”