By:Brian T. Dessart
Call it late-game momentum, Malverne Mules-style. As usual, the Mules heated up the hardwood to outscore North Shore 32-27 in the second half of play, clinching a 76-52 victory and the Nassau County Class B title at SUNY-Old Westbury last Friday.
"The first half, we're looking to score a certain amount of points," said Malverne coach Darrol Lopez, who led the Mules to their second county championship since 2000. "In the second half, we try to exert ourselves."
These two teams met twice during the regular season. In the first contest on Jan. 24, the Mules were victorious 92-61, due largely to Darrell Wonge's 22 points. In their second meeting, less than a month later, Jacklin Guerrier and Peter Campbell combined for 30 points to help lift Malverne over North Shore 86-60.
And once again in the title game, Guerrier came up big, finishing with 25 points. With Malverne leading by 9, 34-25, early in the third quarter, Guerrier went on a 11-point scoring spree to help Malverne to a 16-point lead at the quarter buzzer. The closest North Shore came to saddling the Mules in the quarter was with two lonely free throws by Chris Galano that brought the Vikings within seven, 36-29.
"Halftime was the turning point of the game," Guerrier said. "We came out and picked up the intensity in the third quarter. We always try to improve -- as the game goes on, we want to get better."
In the fourth quarter, the Mules outscored North Shore 20-12. Dominique Williams' 3-pointer with 5:02 to play helped to extend Malverne's lead by 22, 66-44. North Shore's Bill Melillo, who finished with 17 points, led the Vikings in the quarter with three 2-pointers.
Darrell Wonge finished the night with 13 points, while Mike Kelley added 11. North Shore's Galano sank 12 and P.J. Como scored 9.
"The deciding factor was that the kids didn't get flustered," Lopez said. "They just went out and played."
Malverne will face Southampton on March 13 for the Southeast Regional/Long Island championship, at Stony Brook University.
