By ANDREW McCLURE
One was to win the conference title, the other was to advance to the Nassau Class A Final Four at SUNY Old Westbury. After a convincing 59-36 victory over Great Neck North, the Rams are 9-0 in Conference ABC-II, 11-4 overall, and just a win away from clinching first place. Senior point guard Jordan Jackson had 19 points and senior Matt Bowman added 14 in the win.
“All in all, we’re happy with what we’re accomplishing,” Cosgrove said. “Our first goal was to win the conference and take it from there. It would be great to get it done and put another banner up on the wall.”
The Rams, who have won seven consecutive games, got off to a quick start with victories over Freeport and Valley Stream North. Jackson scored 24 points, and 6-foot-9 junior Jamel Flash added 16 points and 10 rebounds in the 70-53 win over Freeport. Bowman chipped in with 11 points and 13 boards.
After a 52-47 loss to Massapequa, West Hempstead began conference play with a trip to Roosevelt. Despite 32 points by Roosevelt’s Korye Hollingsworth, the Rams prevailed 73-61. Jackson, who leads the team with an average of 18 points per game, filled the score sheet with 22 points, eight assists and four steals. Bowman added 13 points and a game-high 13 rebounds for West Hempstead, which outscored the Rough Riders 23-8 from the free-throw line. The Rams have scored 181 points from the line on the season compared to 96 for opponents.
West Hempstead continued its winning ways with a 56-43 home victory over Manhasset. Jackson hit four three-pointers and scored a season-high 29 points. Flash added 14 points and grabbed six rebounds.
The Rams then played three consecutive non-league games, dropping decisions to Brooklyn’s Franklin K. Lane and Port Washington as part of the Malverne Holiday Tournament, and then finished on the short end of a 55-51 game against highly regarded Carey. They haven’t lost since.
In victories over North Shore and Oyster Bay, senior Matt Higgins had back-to-back 13-point games. Flash added 10 points and pulled down 14 rebounds in the 67-53 win over North Shore. Bowman had a season-high 17 rebounds and 12 points as the Rams knocked off Oyster Bay 72-60.
Cosgrove is pleased with the progress. “We’ve gotten deeper as the year has gone on, which can only help down the road,” he said. “We’ve also made a big improvement from the foul line, an area where we hadn’t been that strong. I thought we could win the conference, but I didn’t expect to be undefeated in the conference at this point.”
The Rams host Locust Valley in the regular-season finale on Monday at 6:45 p.m. The Class A playoffs begin Feb. 12.
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