V.S. North outlasts Hewlett

Despite yielding 11- and 12-point runs in the first half and losing two starters — one to injury and one to five fouls — in the second half last Friday afternoon, Hewlett still had two late chances to force overtime at Valley Stream North.

The Bulldogs, who trailed by as many as 12 in the fourth quarter, made it a one-possession game with less than a minute remaining and managed two quality looks from three-point range in the closing seconds but came up short, falling 63-60 in a Nassau Conference A-III boys’ basketball matchup.

Malcolm Harrington tied a career-high with 21 points, and fellow seniors Godwin Eyiuche (14) and Harpreet Singh (10) also scored in double figures as the Spartans (10-5 overall) completed a season sweep of Hewlett and evened their conference record at 4-4. Senior Mark Winkler and junior Ryan Weiss, who sparked the Bulldogs’ (10-6 overall, 4-5 in A-III) rally, finished with 21 and 18 points, respectively.

“It’s a big win since we’re fighting for third place and also just to get into the playoffs,” VSN first-year head coach Michael McVeigh said. “We weren’t sure we’d have Harrington for today’s game due to injury, but he turned out to be the difference. He practiced a little yesterday for the first time in a week, but you’d never know it based on how he played.”

Normally a starter, Harrington was eased back into action and came off the bench with less than a minute to go in the first quarter after the Spartans scored 11 straight to erase an early 9-3 deficit. The lefty big scored 12 points in the second quarter, including 8 during a spurt that saw North close the half with a dozen consecutive points to lead 30-19.

Another key to the first-half success, McVeigh said, was holding Weiss, who entered as Nassau’s leading scorer at 27.5 points per game, to one field goal. McVeigh credited senior Gio Grey, along with help defense from Eyiuche and senior Brian Farrell, with getting the job done. Grey and Farrell also chipped in 8 points apiece. “Gio’s our best on-ball defender and welcomes the challenge,” McVeigh said. “Weiss is a great player and still found a way to score 18 and get them back in the game.”

Hewlett had six different players score in the third quarter, led by junior Anom Dam’s 5 points, and inched closer trailing 45-38 entering the fourth. However, a 7-2 run by the Spartans to open the final quarter brought the margin back to a game-high 12.

Weiss hit a trey with 4:44 to go to spark one last Hewlett push. The visitors lost senior center Evan Greenberg along the way and had senior Nick Morgan (6 points) foul out, but didn’t go down without a fight.

“We dug a hole but fought back and played more physically in the second half,” Hewlett head coach Bill Dubin said. “We had opportunities and came close, but close isn’t good enough.”

The result left the Bulldogs needing wins in two of their last three games to guarantee a playoff berth. North needs to split its remaining four to get in.