By TONY BELLISSIMO
The Mules blew a nine-point lead with 3:46 remaining and suffered a heartbreaking 50-49 defeat to Seton Catholic (Section IV). They had a chance to tie on their final possession, but senior Justin Williams (23 points, 14 rebounds) bypassed a possible game-tying three pointer for an uncontested layup as the clocked ticked down.
“I can’t just look at one play and say that it cost us,” Malverne coach Darrol Lopez said. “We made a lot of mistakes late in the game. We fouled too much, turned the ball over and managed the clock poorly.”
The three-time Long Island Class B champion Mules played without junior guard Dashawn Moorer, who didn’t make the trip after breaking a school rule. He had six three pointers as part of a 20-point performance in the team’s 75-68 victory over Center Moriches in the L.I. Class B title game on March 10. Malverne went 0-for-4 from beyond the arc in the season-ending loss.
“It was a heck of a game but both teams struggled offensively,” Lopez said.
Each team scored just 21 points in Friday’s opening half, but the Mules took a 36-29 lead after three quarters behind the stellar play of Williams, who earned All-County honors this season. “Justin played his heart out,” Lopez said. “He was tremendous throughout the playoffs.”
Malverne (12-11) looked bound for Saturday’s state final after senior Evin Shaw (seven points) gave it a 42-33 lead with 3:46 to go. But the Saints didn’t wave the white flag and roared all the way back, thanks in large part to turnovers and fouls. Shaw and fellow senior Kadeem Bell fouled out.
Seton Catholic frequented the free-throw line in crunch time. The Saints used a 15-3 run to take a 48-45 lead with 20 seconds left. Williams answered with two clutch free throws, and another Mules’ foul put Matt Meier on the line with 10 seconds to play. Meier (14 points) sank both attempts, and the second proved crucial after Williams took the ball to the rim for the game’s final shot.
“It’s the first time we came up here and didn’t at least reach the finals,” said Lopez, who guided Malverne to the state final a year ago. “It’s a tough ending because we felt we should’ve won. But we had a nice year, and I think moving forward we have a lot to be excited about.”
Comments about this story? TBellissimo@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000, ext. 204.
