New Hyde Park Boys Basketball Falls Short to Wantagh, 55-52

The (5-6 in A-1 conference play; 7-9 overall) lost to Wantagh (2-8 in conference play; 4-10 overall) by a score of 55-52.

Despite a second quarter Gladiator rally and a late fourth quarter comeback Tuesday evening, Wantagh managed to make New Hyde Park seniors’ final home game of their high school careers a heartbreaker.

Both teams entered the fray coming off losses Feb. 4 and with New Hyde Park holding a over the Warriors from their meeting Jan. 11.

Heroes:  New Hyde Park senior Dan Justice started things off with a bang for his team draining a three-pointer just eight seconds into the game. He hit another at 4:45 in the second quarter to give the Gladiators their biggest lead of the day (23-18). Justice was also a dominating presence in the lane, scoring inside and ending his game with 14 points after getting his own rebound and putting it in at 1:37 in the third.

Junior forward Adam “Ay Jay” Priest was a constant nuisance to the Warriors, spreading out his scoring consistently between all four quarters. He started his night with a jumper at the one minute mark in the first quarter, then managed to finger-roll his way to 14 points by the end of the evening

Wantagh senior John Reicherter was a beast for his team, earning 13 points including three big shots from behind the arc. He started with a drive at 1:15 in the first quarter, went dormant during the second, then delivered a jumper at 7:36 in the third to give his team a 30-27 lead. His first trey at 5:40 in the third widened this lead to 36-29, but his final two three-pointers in the fourth were especially crucial.

Sophomore Gerard Roche’s drive at 2:15 in the first quarter gave the Warriors their first lead of the day (12-10) and his free throw at :38 in the second gave them the lead that they would hold for the remainder of the game. He did his part to ensure this lead by sinking lay-ups and a big three at 6:25 in the third quarter.

Turning point: Justice’s three-pointer at the top of the game brought the Gladiators some momentum, but the Warriors returned the favor by going on a 10-0 run between 4:10 and 1:15. 

The Gladiators responded in kind by going on a 11-0 run between 7:35 and 4:45 in the second quarter, but their momentum was once again cut short by a three-pointer from Warrior senior John Ingrilli. New Hyde Park tried to shake it off but the lead Wantagh garnered later in the quarter proved to be concrete. 

New Hyde Park came very close to making a comeback in the fourth quarter when senior Joseph Justice’s three-pointer closed Wantagh’s lead to three and junior guard Kevin Towey’s fancy layup closed it to just one, but Dan Justice’s missed free throw with 17 seconds left failed to tie the score. With nine seconds left, a long pass from Ingrilli to senior guard Mike Tomeo gave Tomeo an easy layup and sealed the Gladiators’ fate. 

Quotable: “We played our hearts out and never gave up,” said Gladiator Head Coach Don Rood, “but they just wanted it more.” 

Of Dan Justice's missed free throws, Rood said, “When it comes down to the final free throw, I would have that kid shoot it every game. He didn’t hit it tonight but we wouldn’t have been in a position to win if he didn’t play the way he did during the game.”

“We’ve had close games like this with almost every team we have played all season,” said Wantagh Head Coach Keith Hunter, “and every game we have lost has come down to the wire.”

Talking about the team's standing in the playoffs, Hunter said, “We are not in the playoffs this year, but the kids showed great character and heart all season and I am very impressed with their performance today.”

Bottom Line: The Gladiators displayed their signature passing ability and hustle, but the Warriors managed to shut down two of their leading scorers - junior guard Kevin Towey and senior center Greg Simeon. They held these two play-makers to four points each. 

New Hyde Park was able to hold Warrior star junior Justice Perez to a mere two points, but Perez made up for it on boards which gave his team many offensive opportunities.

Who’s Next? New Hyde Park will travel to Jericho Friday evening for a 7:00 p.m. game and Wantagh will visit Division Friday at 6:30 p.m.

                                        1                 2                   3                   4             Final

New Hyde Park       12               15                 12                  13                52

Wantagh                    18               10                 15                  12                55