By Jason Scheer
The Malverne Mules varsity basketball team, after struggling on their free-throws throughout much of the first half, hit key charity shots down the stretch and outlasted a spirited Locust Valley team, 61-57 in the Nassau Boys Class B semifinal on Saturday, Feb. 19 at SUNY-Old Westbury. The Mules moved on to the Class B final against number one seed Carle Place on Wednesday, Feb. 23. Malverne (12-3) are the Class B second seed.
In a game that featured everything, including a first half buzzer-beating heave by Locust Valley from the West Hempstead foul line, it was fundamentals and free throws that put the game away.
The Mules entered the fourth quarter trailing the Falcons 45-40. They clawed back, however, and pulled within two on a Craig Wilson (13 points) three-pointer from straight away. The sophomore hit three three-pointers in a 17-point effort against Friends Academy to close out the regular season last week.
But the Mules seemingly couldn't get over the hump. The Falcons went on a 5-0 run to put them up by seven with 5 1/2 minutes left for their biggest lead of the game.
The Mules, fittingly stubborn, were not broken. Using tenacious defense that forced two consecutive turnovers, they finally went ahead, 53-52, thanks to a pair of free throws by sophomore Steven Adekunle (8 points) with 2:49 left in the game.
After forcing a stop of Locust Valley's next possession, Malverne sophomore Craig Lott (16 points) hit an open jumper from just outside the right baseline. It seemed like the Mules had finally put it together.
On the next possession, however, Malverne missed four straight shots from point blank range and an errant foul allowed Locust Valley to pull within two with less than two minutes remaining.
It seemed like the crowd at SUNY Old Westbury's Clark Athletic Center was in for a dog fight down the stretch. After Adekunle drove strong to the baseline to put his team up 57-54, Locust Valley failed to connect on a slew of open looks from beyond the arc.
With time running out, the Falcons intentionally fouled on every Malverne possession and the Mules kept their cool and were able to ice the game.
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Girls win, too
Conference VI champion Malverne Lady Mules cruised to a 70-37 win over Carle Place in the Girls Class B semifinal on Saturday, Feb. 19 at Malverne High School.
Junior Tatiana Lopez, who scored her 1,000th career point against Carle Place on Jan. 12, led all scorers with 21 points.
With the win, Malverne advanced to the Class B final at Freeport High School on Wednesday, Feb. 23.
