By Brian Dessart
In the East Rockaway boys' basketball team's case, all three applied, as the Rocks walked away with a 64-51 victory over Port Jefferson on Tuesday night in the Southeast Regional Long Island Championships. The Rocks captured the prestigious title before a crowd of more than 400 at SUNY Old Westbury, and the Rock fans' vocal enthusiasm proved to be too much for Port Jefferson.
For Port Jefferson and coach Keith Buehler, this was the second consecutive attempt at a Long Island championship. The team won the title last year for the first time in school history. For East Rockaway and coach Joseph Lores, the win was 67 years in the making. Coupled with last week's Nassau County Class C Championship title, this is the first time the smallest pubic school in Nassau County has seen either boys' basketball honor since its founding in the fall of 1936.
After two three-pointers by East Rockaway's Jonathan Romero in the first half of the first quarter and then two two-pointers by Matt Glynn in the final minutes, East Rockaway closed the quarter with a 14-6 advantage.
In the second quarter, Port Jefferson held East Rockaway to a mere six points while Cody Buchalter, who finished with 15 points, and Joe Cash, who totaled 13, were combining for 12. After Glynn rushed down court and then pulled up for a two-point jumper with 6:17 left in the half, putting East Rockaway ahead by 10, the Rocks would not score again until Mike Ostrosky hit a right-side jumper with 55 seconds left.
The second half became the Kienke show, and not a moment too soon. With East Rockaway down 21-20, Kienke nailed one of his two three-pointers 35 seconds into the third quarter, and the next 2:10 later, en route to what would be a 12-point quarter for him, to help East Rockaway to a 37-33 lead.
"It didn't even faze me that we were down at the half," said Kienke, who finished with 24 points. "We came out pumped up in the third quarter."
The closest Port Jefferson would come to East Rockaway in the fourth quarter was five points, largely thanks to Kienke's performance from the free-throw line. After a foul on Port Jefferson's Alex Ginsberg, Kienke began a 9-for-12 fourth-quarter free-throw spree.
"I was called for two fouls early in the game," said Kienke. "I knew I had to make up for it."
"This game was so close that it was only a bounce here or a bounce there that could have made it go either way," said Buehler, Port Jeff's third-year coach. "But we knew Kienke was one of their best players."
The Rocks will face off against Section Nine's Fallsburg in the Southeast Regional Finals on Friday at 8 p.m. at SUNY Old Westbury.
