First Valley Stream South lost home-court advantage, then it fell victim to poor shooting and a balanced Valley Stream North team coming off its first defeat of the season.
The backcourt combination of junior Vincent Rienzie (15) and sophomore Tristan Mitchell combined for 29 points Friday evening as North defeated the Falcons, 50-34, in a Nassau Conference VI boys’ basketball matchup held at Memorial Junior High School due to floor condition concerns in South’s gym.
“We lost in the first round of the playoffs last season and that was disappointing,” Mitchell said. “We’re determined to go further this season.”
Finding a site to move the game was the easy part, VSS athletic director Joe Guastafeste said. A decision was made around noon and tipoff was 5 p.m. He worked along with district AD Brett Kornblum to make for a smooth but hectic transition. “It was coordinating everything like alerting officials, supervisors, athletic trainers, cheerleaders and setting up busses,” he said.
The Spartans (7-1 overall) took control in the second quarter, outscoring the Falcons 18-11 after trailing by a point after eight minutes. Rienze had seven points in the second and senior Gavin Ferreira sank a clutch trey as North held a 26-20 lead at intermission.
“I thought we played really well and the kids stuck together,” VSN head coach Mike McVeigh said. “We have an unselfish group.”
North kept the gas pedal down in the third quarter and extended its cushion to 15. Rienzie (six) and Mitchell combined for 11 points, and junior Matthew Hunt added a couple of baskets as the Falcons struggled hitting only three field goals in the quarter.
“We’ve had some nice wins so far and we’re just looking to be more and more consistent every game,” McVeigh explained.
North beat South twice last season on the way to an 11-1 conference mark, but the Spartans were eliminated early in the playoffs by Cold Spring Harbor. The Falcons failed to qualify, but head coach Mike O’Brien feels they can snap a playoff drought dating back five seasons.
“We couldn’t get many shots to fall tonight, but overall I’ve been happy with how we’ve been playing,” O’Brien said. “Our defense kept us in this game and I’m never concerned about the effort. The offense struggled for the first time all season and I think we’ll be OK.”
The Falcons (3-3 overall) scored at least 64 points in each of their first five games, but had only one-double digit scorer in the loss to North. Junior forward Jaden Pryce had 12. Senior All-County point guard Brady DelValle, who opened the season with 36 against Hewlett and followed with three straight 20-plus point performances, was held to 8 and fouled out with less than two minutes left.
“DelValle is one of the best players in the conference,” McVeigh said. “We were trying to stop him from going off like he does most games. Omarion Holder defended him most of the game and I thought he did a really good job.”
North hosts the rematch on Feb. 1 at noon.