By:TONY BELLISSIMO
A tremendous season for the Long Beach boys basketball team came to a premature end Saturday afternoon in the quarterfinal round of the Nassau County Class A tournament.
The second-seeded Marines slugged it out with seventh-seeded Elmont for 36 minutes, but it was the Spartans' performance in the latter stages of the four-minute overtime that allowed them to escape a packed Long Beach gymnasium with an exciting 76-71 victory.
"This was playoff basketball," Long Beach coach Wandy Williams said. "It was a rough one to lose. Our kids played their hearts out but unfortunately we couldn't get that one free throw or one turnover that made the difference."
Senior guard Chris Calabrese led all scorers with 22 points and helped the Marines back from a six-point deficit with 1:36 left in the fourth quarter with one of his four three-pointers. Senior guard Pat McCann had 14 points, including the game-tying basket with five seconds left in regulation. Stephen Wonge led Elmont with 16 points.
"We broke them down at times but we didn't sustain the pressure," Williams said. "Elmont's a very solid team. They have size, they're quick and they have a deep bench."
Both coaches went to their bench repeatedly throughout the close contest. The game was tied after the second, third and fourth quarters. There were 14 lead changes. Elmont held the largest lead when it jumped ahead 7-0.
"Everybody had a share in the loss -- just like everybody had a share in the 14 wins we had this season," Williams said of his team, which finished 14-4.
Trailing 71-70 with 35 seconds left in overtime, Elmont got a basket from Rendel Johnson as the lead changed hands for the last time. Then, after a Long Beach turnover, Charles Fernandez hit two free throws with 17 seconds left to put the Spartans ahead 74-71. After the Marines failed to cash in at the line, Johnson hit two more free throws with 10 seconds remaining to seal the outcome.
"We expected nothing but a close game," Williams said.
Thanks to Calabrese, the Marines stayed close early. He scored the team's first 10 points and assisted on a McCann basket for a 13-11 lead.
"Chris and Pat are two seniors who've been around for three seasons and they played well," Williams said.
Long Beach controlled much of the second quarter and appeared ready to take a lead into the locker room before Elmont scored five points in the closing seconds of the half, including Annil Chinnan's three-point buzzer-beater.
"It was one of many big plays," Elmont coach Dave Kinsley said.
The game seesawed throughout the second half. Junior Gerard Burns and senior Rashawn Harris helped Long Beach build a 37-33 lead midway through the third, but it was short-lived. The Spartans tied it again on the last play of the quarter and opened a thrilling fourth with a basket to take a 47-45 lead. It was 62-56 Elmont with 96 seconds to play.
"The kids dug deep," Williams said. "They didn't want the season to end."
After a pair of Lorenzo Pitts free throws and a defensive stop, Calabrese brought the crowd to its feet with a long trey with 1:13 left. Johnson and Juan Soriano traded baskets, and Fernandez went 1-for-2 from the line to make it 65-63. McCann's driving layup sent the game into the extra session, where the Spartans proved to have a little more gas left in their tank.
Boxscore:
ELMONT (76)
Bazile 5 1-2 11, Cammock 6 2-3 14, Chinnan 4 3-4 15, Gilyard 2 0-0 4, Fernandez 2 3-4 8, Johnson 2 4-4 8, Wonge 6 4-4 16. Totals: 27 17-21 76.
LONG BEACH (71)
Burns 4 4-5 12, Calabrese 8 2-2 22, Harris 4 2-3 10, McCann 5 4-4 14, Pitts 2 3-6 7, Solomon 1 0-0 2, Soriano 2 0-2 4. Totals: 26 15-22 71.
Three-point goals: Elmont: 5 (Chinnan 4, Fernandez), Long Beach: 4 (Calabrese 4)
