While South’s dominance from the perimeter dominated the scorebook, the guys in the paint did a solid job as well. Senior Nnamdi Nwaigwe and junior Demetri Badette blocked or altered a slew of shots. Nwaigwe had 11 rebounds.

Valley Stream South head coach Matt Johnsen, who breathed a deep sigh of relief in the waning seconds, was proud of his team. “We competed in a tough conference with teams like Lawrence and Floral Park, and played very difficult non-league opponents to prepare for this,” Johnsen said. “We practiced to be prepared for the situations that we knew we’d face in the playoffs. I really had no doubt that our guys would hit the free throws down the stretch.”