By ANDREW McCLURE
West Hempstead may not look imposing in the win-loss column, but come playoff time the Rams should be a tough foe. West Hempstead, which will host defending state and federation Class B champion Malverne prior to its Class A playoff opener at home on Friday, collected recent victories over Island Trees and a strong Floral Park team.
Despite having just five regular season victories, the Rams have played one of the toughest schedules in the county. Playing in a league with Malverne, Island Trees, Floral Park, South Side, Westbury and defending county champ Jericho, which is favored to repeat, the Rams should be prepared to take on all comers.
As if the league schedule wasn't challenging enough, West Hempstead coach Ed Cosgrove put together a non-league schedule composed of Half Hollow Hills West, Roosevelt, Lawrence, Carey and Hempstead.
One of the bright spots for the Rams has been the play of senior forward Kevin Walsh, who has averaged 18 points per game to lead West Hempstead's offense. The Molloy College-bound Walsh has scored 20 or more points in seven of West Hempstead's 17 games. He scored 25 points and pulled down 15 boards in the win over Island Trees. Fellow senior Naquan New has provided a late-season boost, scoring a career-high 22 points in the victory over Floral Park.
Junior point guard Jordan Jackson has had a solid season for the Rams, scoring 17 points in the upset of Floral Park and a career-high 18 in a 69-61 loss to Malverne.
Sophomore Daniel Minto showed a glimpse of West Hempstead basketball's future with a 17-point, 17 rebound effort as the Rams rallied past Island Trees for their first conference victory after seven straight losses. Minto had a career-high 20 points in a heartbreaking 66-65 loss to South Side. Also contributing for Cosgrove is junior guard Matt Higgins.
Lady Rams up win streak
West Hempstead's girls' basketball team, coached by Chris Van Kovics, upped its winning streak in Conference ABC-VI to three games last Friday with a 49-38 triumph over Cold Spring Harbor. Senior Kristyn Sandberg had 17 points and 12 rebounds and senior Jenna D'Alessandro added 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Lady Rams, who moved over the .500 in conference action with a record of 7-6.
The previous game saw Sandberg dominate by pouring in 29 points and hauling down 15 rebounds to spark a 56-35 triumph over Glen Cove. Becky Conto, an eighth-grader, chipped in 12 points and eight rebounds. The streak began on Jan. 31 with Sandberg scoring 27 in a 59-34 victory over Great Neck North.
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