by Jerry Burke
The song, which has become synonymous with fictional underdog boxer Rocky Balboa, speaks of a champion and his will to survive. Like Rocky in his first film, West Hempstead had survived to the very end of the game, but unfortunately, also like the Italian Stallion, they fell just short of a stunning upset.
West Hempstead guard Darrell Wease's valiant last-second three-point attempt hit the backboard a little too hard and bounced out, giving three-time defending state champion Amityville a 50-47 victory.
And just when you thought the scene couldn't get any more Rocky-esque, the buzzer sounded and the more than 800 West Hempstead fans who came out rose to their feet, giving the team that claimed the school's first Nassau County Class B championship since 1957 a well-deserved, three-minute-long standing ovation.
"We love you, Entienne!" screamed a large group of young ladies in the front rows, referring to senior guard Entienne Brower, whose 19 points and 9 assists led the Rams to what head coach Al Christenson said "was the most exciting finish I'd ever been involved with."
Brower, who, along with regulars Wease, Frank Kelley and Pat McCreight, played their last game for the Rams, was upset but poised after the game. "I feel terrible," he said. "[Amityville] just came through in the end."
After a rocky start that saw then down 19-13 after the first period, the Rams calmed down and let their defense do the talking. Keeping Amityville's shooting off-balance with inspired coverage, which forced turnover after turnover, West Hempstead held Amityville to just four points in the second period. After rebounding a wayward Amityville shot, sophomore forward Jeff Martin (10 points, 4 assists) fed a down-court pass to a wide-open Kelley (12 points, 6 rebounds), whose lay-up tied the game at 21. The Rams took advantage, outscoring the Warriors 16-4 and taking a 29-23 lead at the half.
The dominance continued into the third quarter, with the Rams holding Amityville to only two points over a 12-minute span of the second and third periods.
Then, suddenly, Amityville woke up. Down 34-25 with 3:57 left in the third, Amityville, led by A.J. Price (20 points), went on a 12-1 run into the fourth quarter, taking a 37-35 lead with 7:00 left in the game.
"We knew they were going to make their run," Christenson said. "I just kept telling the kids that we needed to keep scoring points and push them."
But West Hempstead wasn't going to give up that easily. After a missed jumper by Martin, Kelley swooped in for the rebound and nudged the ball in to tie the score. After a series of foul shots of varying success, Brower sank a clutch three-pointer with 14.8 seconds left to pull the Rams within one.
Martin fouled Price to force him to the line, and the strategy seemed to work as Price made one of two. In the next five seconds Amityville missed three free throws, causing two hectic scrambles under the net. Each time, though, the Warriors came up with it.
Brower fouled Price with 7.2 seconds left, and this time he made both clutch shots to give Amityville the 50-47 lead. After a West Hempstead time-out, Brower ran the ball down court and passed to Wease, who had a good look at the three-pointer but put a little too much on it, and it hit the back rim.
While Amityville heads up to Glen Falls this weekend for the Section I championship, West Hempstead (22-2) heads home and looks ahead to the loss of 10 seniors. But, like "Rocky," it isn't out of the question to expect some sequels: sophomore Martin and starting guard Akeem Bennett, a freshman, will both be back. And now that they have the fans believing again, next year should be a fun one.
