Balanced Seaford is battle-tested

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New Seaford boys’ basketball head coach Jay Lynch challenged his team from the jump with a rigorpus non-league schedule he hopes reaps rewards down the stretch.

The Vikings began the new season with three challenging games against Lynbrook, Manhasset and Valley Stream Central before breaking through with their first win, 60-49 at CHSAA powerhouse All Hallows in the Bronx on Dec. 7.

“The non league has been very difficult, but the students are showing tremendous improvement as we go along,” said Lynch, who took over this season Ralph Rossetti, who won 403 games over the course of 43 years “They are picking up the system, the defense is improving and I think we're going to be fine in conference play with the top heavy, loaded, non-league schedule we had.”

Lynch said the All Hallows victory was big from a confidence perspective and showed what the team is capable of achieving when they hit open shots. Senior guard Kyle Britton led the way with 21 points with Brian Hennessy registering 12 in a game Seaford led 29-16 at halftime.

Britton, who was a standout receiver on the Seaford football team in the fall, has emerged as the Vikings' leading scorer this winter including another 21-point performance in a 70-63 Conference VII win against Island Trees on Dec. 17. He also tallied 18 points in a narrow 63-56 league loss to Friends Academy on Dec. 20.

Senior Justin Betz has also stepped up as a big man inside with his 6-6 size with large improvements in his game.

“He's taken over control of the middle, he can hit the three and he can drive to the basket,” said Lynch of Betz. “We're getting a lot of good play out of him.”

Junior point guard Mike Spinella has also displayed steady leadership leading the backcourt with limited turnovers in Seaford’s uptempo offense. Versatile junior Brian Falk, who has committed to play lacrosse at Army-West Point, has also emerged as a focal point of the offense averaging nearly 10 points a game.

Seaford enters the week at 3-3 in conference play and in prime position to earn a playoff spot with a .500 or better league record. Lynch, who last winter led a JV team that went 16-3, said the tough competition was an adjustment for his varsity newscombers, but should pay dividends for the league schedule in January and February.

“We want to play the best and I think that tremendously difficult non-league schedule is going to prepare us for the competition in our league,” Lynch said.

The Vikings closed last week with a 55-52 home win against Malverne last Thursday in which

Betz and Ayden Das each scored 14 points and Britton had 13 on the strength of four 3-pointers. Seaford trailed 25-24 at halftime before taking command in the third quarter with a 19-11 run during the eight-minute period.

Seaford will visit Wheatley on Friday before a week break for midterms. The Vikings then host North Shore for a Saturday afternoon game on Jan. 25 at noon.