Clarke looking to heat up
In a winter full of snow drifts, blowing wind and a rough start on the basketball court, Clarke found a ray of sunshine in a 58-46 loss at Valley Stream North last Saturday.
Coming into the game, the Spartans had won their first two Conference A-IV matchups by at least 13 points, and the Rams were on the ropes at halftime, trailing by 10. But that’s when Clarke (1-7 overall, 0-3 in Conference A-IV) got a little creative with how it attacked Valley Stream North defensively.
“We mixed up the defense a lot,” Rams coach Joe Harclerode said. “We tried to create a lot of confusion and we focused on that a lot in the last couple of practices.”
The Rams threw everything in the playbook out on the floor, from the normal halfcourt defense to full-court traps and quarter-court presses. It worked, as the quicker pace helped jumpstart the offense from a 16-point first-half total to 15 in each of the final two quarters. “The game plan’s there and we’re [starting] to do well executing it.”
Junior Mike Martiello led the way with 14 points, while sophomore Joey Fusco added nine and sophomore John Fogarty scored seven. Fogarty, Fusco and Martiello also stepped up on the defensive side of the floor, with Martiello continuing to make his presence felt on the boards. The junior is averaging better than 10 rebounds per game in conference play, and along with a big body in the paint, also has a solid mid-range jumper. “They know the scores, they know who’s good and who’s not,” Harclerode said of the boost of confidence his team can take from the loss. “It was a little ray of light so to speak,” he added. “We have to make sure we value the ball and don’t turn it over.”
As Martiello piles up points inside, junior Rich Losco has provided support on the perimeter, connecting on 48 percent of his three-point attempts. Junior Chris Appell, meanwhile, has developed a knack for getting to the basket and tied Martiello with a team-high 10 points in a 79-50 loss to Seaford on Jan. 11.
The Rams host Mineola on Friday at 7:30 p.m. in their final game before the weeklong break for midterms. “We’re young and competitive and competing,” Harclerode said of his team, which has just three seniors on the roster. “We have to grow together.”
