By ANDREW McCLURE
A win over Oceanside in the regular-season finale on Monday night, after press time, would have earned the Seahawks (10-3 in Conference AA-II, 12-4 overall) a share of the conference title and no worse than the No. 9 seed in the playoffs, which begin Friday.
Coach Marty Kelly said he believes the Seahawks have what it takes to make a nice run in the playoffs. “We’ve been improving all year in many areas of the game,” Kelly said. “We pose a threat to a lot of teams because our size and ability to shoot the ball. I like the way we’re playing going into the playoffs.”
The 57-53 loss to Massapequa on Feb. 6 ended Carey’s chances of winning the conference title outright. The Seahawks trailed big early, made a run to take the lead, but fell short in the final minutes. Junior Terrance Murchie, the team’s leading scorer with an average of 19 points per game, played despite flu symptoms. He was held to just six points. Senior Phil Leidner, the team’s second leading scorer at 13 per game, scored a career-high 27 in the defeat. The win by the Chiefs avenged a 78-52 Carey victory in the first meeting.
During the winning streak, the Seahawks knocked off Conference AA-III champion Freeport, 68-59, in the George Emma Classic at Freeport. Leidner, who was named the most valuable player, scored 20 points and pulled down 14 rebounds. Senior Luke Zahradka added 10 points, eight assists and seven rebounds.
Next up for Carey was a rematch with Great Neck South. The Rebels won 50-49 when the teams met in December. This one would be just as dramatic, but the host Seahawks came away with a 56-55 win. Senior Jasjit Dhillon knocked down two free throws with 19 seconds left in the game to put the game away. Murchie led all scorers with 20 points, and added eight rebounds and five assists.
Kelly believes Murchie should be among those considered for top played in the conference honors. “Terrance has had a tremendous season for us,” Kelly said. “Having him at less than 100 percent against Massapequa really showed how much he means to the team. He just has a knack for scoring and has been getting it done all year long.”
After wins over Hicksville, East Meadow and Plainview-JFK, Carey took on Port Washington, which had only one conference loss and defeated the Seahawks when the teams met early on in the season. Carey prevailed 46-43 this time around. Zahradka buried a three-pointer with 25 seconds on the clock to put the Seahawks ahead to stay. Murchie, who hit four from three-point land in the final quarter, scored 20 points, 18 which came in the second half, and added 11 rebounds and four assists. Leidner scored 12 points and grabbed nine boards.
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