Thursday, October 1, 2026
Wantagh’s boys basketball team closed January in solid footing for a February playoff berth thanks to some clutch plays on both ends of the court.
Facing the prospects of a three-game losing streak to close the month, Wantagh rallied from a late seven-point deficit for a 41-39 win against Mineola on Jan. 28 when senior forward Carter Loughman sank the winning shot with three seconds remaining. The sequence was set up by Devin Paccione tying the game with 35 seconds left before picking up an offensive charge on defense.
The comeback win moved Wantagh to 5-3 in Conference IV with four games remaining.
“It was a big win because it took some of the pressure off since now we only need to win one out of the next four to make the playoffs,” said fifth-year Wantagh head coach Matt Simeone. “We’re also in a good spot to finish in second place,”
Sophomore guard Vinny Napolitano led the Warriors with 16 points in the Mineola win including three 3-pointers. Senior forward Joe Nicholson also stepped up big with 11 points.
The Warriors are positioned for a playoff push thanks to another close win in a 46-44 home victory against Lynbrook on Jan. 6 hitting a big three with 20 seconds left. Loughman led the way with 15 points with Napolitano and Nicholson also cracking double figures with 13 and 12 points, respectively.
Junior guard Luke Gonsowski also delivered in the Lynbrook win with 6 points. Simeone said Gonsowski, who is also a standout football player at wide receiver and defensive back, has emerged as a key defender this winter.
“We were looking at him more as a bench role player and he has stepped into a starting role this year,” said Simeone, who has also coached Gonsowski in football as an assistant coach. “He has stepped up to the plate and become a great defender.”
Wantagh hosts Floral Park, which is unbeaten in Conference IV at 9-0, Friday at 5:45 p.m. in a rematch of 59-46 loss on Jan. 9 in which the Warriors trailed 39-26 entering the fourth quarter. Nicholson scored 21 points to help keep Wantagh close for much of the game.
The Warriors regular-season home finale is on tap for Monday at 5 p..m. against Plainedge, which Wantagh dominated in a 52-27 win on Jan. 12. The regular seadon concludes on Feb. 12 at Valley Stream South, who edged Wantagh 51-47 on Jan. 15, in a game that could decide who earns the second seed for the Nassau Class A playoffs.
With the playoffs fast approaching, Simeone’s team is focused on peaking at the right time and trying to exceed last year’s near-run to the county finals that ended in a 61-56 semifinal loss to Floral Park.
“We want to get better each week,” Simeone said. “We want to be playing our best basketball at the end of the year come playoff time.”
