Thursday, October 1, 2026
Uniondale’s second visit to Hempstead in five weeks didn’t go as well as the first as the Knights fell behind the Tigers by as many as 13 points in the opening quarter of a 61-44 Nassau Conference AAA-I boys’ basketball defeat last Friday evening.
“It’s rare for us to allow more than 50 points,” Uniondale head coach Jaaz Styles said. “They had some hot shooters that were tough to overcome. It was a wacky game for us without our bigs, but no excuses and we look forward to the challenges ahead.”
Both teams entered the showdown with identical 5-2 conference records. The Knights played without 6-foot-8 sophomore center Jayden Barrows, who was out with an illness, and were also still without 6-5 senior Darren Brown due to injury.
Senior Aaden Sarduy (14 points) hit three of Hempstead’s six first-half treys, including a buzzer beater to end the half, and led a steady Tigers attack as they avenged a 53-43 Dec. 13 loss to the Knights in a game they hosted due to water damage in Uniondale’s gym. Senior Christian Holt added 12 and juniors Edwin Molina and Nelson Contreras added 8 apiece.
“We were undermanned, but we didn’t defend well,” Styles said.
Senior guard Dylan Hickman led all scorers with a game-high 20 points, while sophomore Jayden Oden was dominant at times and finished with 12 points, 12 rebounds and 6 blocks.
The Tigers scored 16 straight points to establish early command after Hickman opened the game with a 3-pointer. Holt was the biggest reason the hosts came out firing on all cylinders, hitting three field goals and a pair of free throws during the spurt. Uniondale scored five of the final seven points of the quarter to close the gap to 18-8.
With the absence in the paint of Barrows, who averages 10 rebounds, 8 points and 6 blocks per game, Oden did everything in his power to keep the Knights within striking distance. He had 8 points in the second quarter and twice swatted away shot attempts of Hempstead senior Amare Collins, who was held to 4 points after netting 16 in the first meeting.
Hickman hit a long three just seconds before halftime to get Uniondale within 30-21, but Sarduy, who didn’t find the scoresheet in the Dec. 13 battle, rattled home a near-halfcourt shot to beat the buzzer and take back what little momentum the Knights had.
The Tigers led 38-21 before Uniondale mustered one more push to get within 42-31 by the end of the third quarter. Styles said freshman point guard Cameron Ockimey, who had 13 points in the first meeting, continues to improve every day and is averaging 8 ppg.
Ockimey, Hickman (17 ppg) and Oden (11.5 ppg) played all 32 minutes.
Five games remain for the Knights, including rematches with Syosset and Farmingdale this week. They beat Syosset by 4 and lost to Farmingdale by a basket.
“We need two more wins to clinch a playoff spot,” Styles said.
