NHP Boys Basketball Beats Island Trees, 60-58

The   in thrilling fashion, edging host Island Trees, 60-58, in a non-league game on Friday. Juniors Kevin Towey and Adam Priest opened the game with a pair of early three pointers, but the Gladiators trailed 43-38 after three quarters and 55-54 with 50 seconds left. Towey and Joseph Justice each made free throws in the final seconds to secure the win.

Heroes: Towey not only brought up the ball well as point guard, but he also scored 16 points in the win. He also made the team's first basket, a three pointer, and he made the shot at about the five minute mark of the third quarter that tied the game up at 46. Towey also made the basket with 40 seconds left to go that put the Gladiators up by a point.

Senior Joseph Justice also helped to turn the game around with some shots at critical times.  He scored eight points in the fourth quarter.

The top scorer in the game was Adam Priest with 18 points. It was raining threes for Priest; he made one three-point shot in each quarter of the game.

Turning Point: There were two turning points in this game – the one that put the Gladiators at the Bulldogs' mercy for much of the second half and the point when the Gladiators regained the lead.

Island Trees scored on a breakaway two minutes into the third quarter. This was followed by a three pointer by the Bulldogs to shave NHP's lead to 38-37. 

The Gladiators turned the game around by setting more screens to try to get more players open in the fourth quarter. They also had those vital shots made by players such as Towey and Joseph Justice.

Quotable: "For these two teams, this was the first game of the season and we're all still working on stuff," New Hyde Park coach Don Rood said.

Bottom Line: Rood said that both teams fought hard. When he noted that both teams still have things to work on, he added that, "that's why we play pre-season games."

The Gladiators were back at it the following afternoon at a team practice.

Key Stat: Fouls. There were about 12 fouls called against the Gladiators during the game, many of which were during the fourth quarter. Though the Bulldogs missed some of their foul shots, they got three points from foul shots which took the score from down 49-47 to a tie.  

But New Hyde Park capitalized on its free throw opportunities in the final minute of play. Both Towey and Justice made both of their foul shots respectively, turning a tenuous 56-55 lead into a 60-58 win.

Who's Next: Herricks @ New Hyde Park, Wednesday, 6:30 p.m.