The visiting Bulldogs, who were 1-17 last season, were making their first playoff appearance in 18 years, and it turned out to be a brief one. The Cyclones scored 14 of the game's first 16 points and never looked back in a convincing 69-37 victory - their 13th in a row.
Senior Greg Molloy poured in 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, junior Tom Dowling scored all 11 of his points in the opening quarter and junior Chris Bastian came off the bench to score 11 as third-seeded South Side (16-3) cruised into the quarterfinals. Senior Jason Casanova led 14th-seeded Hewlett (9-9) with 18 points, and senior Alex Kanner added eight.
"We've got a tough road, and it's nice to get the first one out of the way," Cyclones coach Gerry D'Angelo said. "I don't think we could have written a better script. We shot the ball well right from the start and played solid defense."
South Side, two seasons removed from a county championship and runner-up to Floral Park last winter, is in the playoffs for the fifth straight season under D'Angelo and one more win away from a trip to the semifinals on Friday at SUNY-Old Westbury. Despite returning only one starter, senior Bobby Hayes, the Cyclones rolled to the Conference A-IV title undefeated and came into the tournament beaming with confidence.
"We started to jell around Christmas," D'Angelo said. "That's about when we settled into a steady lineup and rotation. We're an unselfish team with good depth."
A deep bench is sure to come in handy as the playoffs unfold, but if South Side's starting five sets the tone like it did against Hewlett, the pressure will be off. Molloy scored the team's first seven points and Dowling 11 of its next 14, including a trio of three-pointers that forced the Bulldogs out of their preferred defense.
"I watched five of their games on tape, and today was the best they played," said Hewlett coach Bill Dubin. "They're a very good team. We allowed them to take some uncontested shots and it seems like they hit every one. We went to a box-and-one for the second quarter and hung around as best we could."
Bastian capped a 24-7 first quarter with a long three-pointer at the buzzer that brought many in the jam-packed crowd to its feet.
Casanova, who was shadowed by Hayes, came alive a bit in the second and third quarters after a slow start and was the biggest reason why the Cyclones didn't run away and hide sooner. "Jason's one of the best players in the county, and he did everything he could to keep us in it," Dubin said.
The Bulldogs got within 42-29 with 1:27 remaining in the third, but South Side made a 13-0 run to put the game out of reach with six minutes left. Senior Alan Diamond and junior Pat McDerby had six points apiece.
At press time it was learned that the Cyclones suffered a heart breaking loss to the Floral Park team in the quater-final round played on Tuesday Feb. 21. The final score was 56-53.
