By Tom Jordan
That win and another at Massapequa on Feb. 13 clinched the No. 3 seed for the Cyclones in the playoffs, assuring them a first-round bye and at least one home game. They will open the playoffs on Feb. 22 at 3:30 p.m. at South Side.
More importantly for coach Gerry D'Angelo, the Cyclones corrected some subtle mistakes from an earlier loss to Uniondale and played with the heart of a champion.
The lead changed hands more often than a hot potato and neither team ever led by more than four points, but when the final buzzer sounded, South Side had defeated Conference I-A s top-rated team, 74-70, in double-overtime. Center John Henkel scored 34 points and grabbed 22 rebounds and guard James Hurt finished with 24 points and eleven rebounds, but D'Angelo called the win a total team effort.
Every kid that stepped on the court contributed in some way. Every possession is vital in a game like that, said the first-year coach. The statement echoed D Angelo's thoughts after South Side fell to Uniondale by 59-48 on Jan.11. The coach rued missed chances to close the gap from the free-throw line. He talked about how a more favorable result from a handful of plays may have turned the game and predicted the Cyclones wouldn't let another opportunity pass them by when the teams met again. He called the rematch South Side's ultimate test.
He couldn't have been more right. Battle-tested after the earlier narrow miss and subsequent nail-biters with Baldwin and Freeport, South Side never faltered.
Still, they appeared headed for another tough loss until a Hurt basket tied the game at 54 with eight seconds to play in regulation. Then with time ebbing away and a Cyclones' win within reach, Uniondale's Brian Mays drilled a three-pointer to send the game into a second overtime.
The Cyclones, who had lost to Baldwin by a single point on their home floor less than two weeks earlier, did not let the disappointment break them.
I felt they gave it everything they had for four quarters and then they gave it everything they had in the first overtime, D'Angelo said. And when I thought they didn't have any more to give in the second overtime, they gave me more. They seemed to get stronger the longer the game went on. They played with full intensity.
Free throws again were the difference, but this time South Side made good. Two Matt Nolan free throws gave the Cyclones a lead with 48 seconds to play in the second overtime, and two more by Hurt put the game on ice.
Brian Wolchok, Chris Rooney and Jon Heller also hit clutch baskets, despite combining for just 16 points.
Nolan and Rooney were also primarily responsible for containing Uniondale's best player -- Anthony Noble. D'Angelo remembered telling the two in practice that he would be asking a lot of them, but not necessarily in the way of scoring and rebounding. After Noble scored 22 in the first half, he was limited to two points the rest of the way.
What (Nolan and Rooney) did won t show up in any box score, D'Angelo said. They were exhausted after the game. They've accepted roles like that and it's a big reason for our winning.
They also had a big hand in the Cyclones passing the ultimate test.
When we lost to them the first time, I felt it gave us a dose of reality. We realized how good we would have to be. It was a reality check, D'Angelo said. But we also realized that any team can beat another on any given night, if you re willing to work hard.
The Cyclones know that in order to be successful, they have to play at full intensity.
