Oceanside misses playoffs despite win

Senior guard Gene Garay scored 26 points and dished out six assists to lead visiting Oceanside to a 75-65 victory over Farmingdale last Friday afternoon in Conference AA-I boys’ basketball action.

Garay was 12-for-12 from the free throw line in the final quarter as the Sailors put the game away. Brian Nnadi added 17 points for Oceanside. 

Despite the win, Oceanside, 5-6 in Conference AA-I, 8-7 overall, fell short of a playoff berth. The Sailors needed to win and get some help to advance to the postseason. Hempstead’s upset win over Uniondale put an end to Oceanside’s playoff hopes.

Sailors head coach Dan Keegan is proud of the effort given by his team. “We’re competing in the strongest conference in the county, and we’re in every game,” Keegan said. “We beat Massapequa and knocked off Hempstead twice, and we gave Freeport, the top team in the league, all it could handle both times we played. I’m disappointed for the guys that they won’t get to play in the postseason.”

The Sailors took the floor against Farmingdale looking to avenge a 60-50 defeat at the hands of the Dalers back in January. This time around, Oceanside utilized a full-court press in an effort to play an up-tempo pace and force the young Dalers to turn the

The strategy worked like a charm. The Sailors held Farmingdale to one field goal in the opening quarter and took an 8-2 lead. The second quarter belonged to Nnadi. The senior guard hit a trio of three-pointers in the quarter; including one with five seconds remaining in the half, as Oceanside took a 31-18 halftime lead. 

The third quarter was a back-and-forth affair. After three quarters, the Sailors held a 47-34 lead. With both teams in the bonus, much of the fourth quarter was spent on the free throw line. Garay had 16 of his 27 points from the line. Senior Chris Flynn had an outstanding game, registering nine points, eight assists, and a game-high 17 rebounds. Sophomore center Hunter Sabety had 12 points for the Sailors. 

Keegan was pleased with the team’s performance. “Going into the game, we knew that we needed the win to have any shot at the playoffs,” Keegan said. “The boys responded. We came out and pressed; something we didn’t do a lot of this year. Not only did it force turnovers, but it opened up the floor for Garay to create.”

Garay, who recently signed to play both football and basketball at Amherst College, was just four points shy of 1,000 for his career as the team prepared to play Uniondale in the season finale. 

Keegan has been impressed with Garay’s leadership and work ethic. “He certainly evolved as a player over the past four seasons,” Keegan said. “He’s a player who believes practice is more important than the games. He’s a two-time captain who leads by example. Over the past three seasons, he never failed to win a sprint in practice. That’s something that’s very important for the younger guys to see.”