By STEVE SINISKI
Junior guard Stephen Luczaj stepped in front of Colts' senior Anthony Patti's pass to senior Patrick Mills, secured the steal and converted two free throws with less than three seconds to go, icing the Pirates' first conference victory of the season. Mepham senior Andrew Kaminsky scored a game-high 34 points, converted 6 of 8 free throws in the final 1:26 and grabbed 14 rebounds. "He is our leader on the court and off of it," Mepham coach Rich Wojcieski said of Kaminsky. "He sets a good example for our [younger players]."
In the heat of the Colts' fourth-quarter comeback bid, Mills drained a pair of three pointers in a span of just nine seconds, the second of which came from the top of the key with two defenders in his face. The long-range jumpers trimmed a seven-point deficit to two, the closest Calhoun had been since the opening minutes of the games. "We knew he was their go-to guy and it was only a matter of time until he hit the shots," Wojcieski said of Mills who led Calhoun with 19 points. "We knew we had to deny him the ball."
Mepham junior Doug Marshall scored six of his 10 points in the final quarter, complementing Kaminsky's offensive output. Luczaj and senior Nick Ditusa handed out a dozen assists between them. "It's nice to have a handful of guys off the bench that I feel comfortable with," said Wojcieski, noting the play of several other players, including junior Jc Brandmaier.
After watching Kaminsky rack up 20 first-half points on a variety of jumpers from the baseline, the Colts made some defensive adjustments and managed to slow him down until the final-minute free-throw parade. At one point in the second quarter, Kaminsky scored 10 consecutive points for the Pirates, who opened up their biggest lead at halftime, 35-25. "We came out of our zone and we did a better job of taking away his left [hand]," Calhoun coach Jay Kreutzberger said.
The Colts started chipping away at the double-digit deficit in the third quarter, as seniors A.J. Ilch and Sean Foy combined for eight of the team's 10 points. Sophomore John Wigand made the most of his court time with five points and six rebounds in the second quarter. "We need to find a better balance between two-pointers and three-pointers," Kreutzberger said. "When we find that balance we're tough to beat."
Conference AA-III play resumes for Calhoun on Tuesday when Syosset visits for a 6:30 p.m. tip-off. A non-league home battle follows on Jan. 8 against Roslyn at 6:30 p.m. The Pirates have upcoming road games at Herricks on Tuesday, and Kennedy on Jan. 8. Both games are scheduled for 7 p.m.
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