Kennedy remains in playoff race

With its playoff hopes hanging in the balance, Kennedy erased a six-point halftime deficit and pulled away from Jericho down the stretch last Friday night to earn a vital 60-49 home victory in a Nassau Conference A-II boys’ basketball matchup.

Senior point guard Christian Palazzotto couldn’t have picked a better time for his only field goal of the game, a three-pointer to open the second half that energized the Cougars, who got double digits in points from seniors Marco Travaglione (19) and Brandon Wexler (15) as well as junior Alex Rosenberg (12) on the way to sweeping the season series from the Jayhawks.

The result put both teams at 4-5 in conference play with five games remaining.

“Every win is a big win,” Kennedy head coach Rory Block said. “We had to have it to stay in the playoff race. Jericho has a good track to get to 7-7 and we probably need to find a way to get there too. We have to beat one of the top three teams like Jericho did [against Manhasset] and take care of business in the other two to have a chance.”

Jericho, which also had three double-digit scorers with Yaewon You (12), Brandon Weiss (12) and Aaron Jaffe (10), led 16-11 after the first quarter and 30-24 at halftime. “They played strong man-to-man right from the start and I felt we were fortunate to not be down by more than six at the half,” Block explained. “It was such an important game and they came into our gym and played harder than us. But to our guys’ credit, they fought back. Jericho doesn’t have much height, so when we got the ball into Marco and Brandon in better spots, we were able to get the offense in gear.”

The Cougars (6-7 overall) outscored the Jayhawks by an 18-7 margin in the third quarter to lead by five points heading into the fourth. In addition to Travaglione and Wexler continuing their scoring prowess, Block said Rosenberg’s effort and timely treys by not only Palazzotto but also a pair from sophomore Tyler Yablon were the keys to victory.

“Alex was aggressive to the rim and got some big baskets,” Block said of Rosenberg, a lefty guard who got the start with senior Zach Rosenfeld injured. “When we can get someone else in double figures besides Marco and Brandon, we’re that much tougher.”

Travaglione, who also ripped down nine rebounds, ranks among Nassau’s leading scorers at 21.3 points per game. He poured in a career-high 48 points Jan. 8 with a dynamic 18-for-25 shooting performance in a loss to Manhasset. “Without him, we’re not in the playoff conversation,” Block said.

Wexler (13.8 ppg) scored 29 to lead a 62-40 win at Carey on Jan. 19. The Cougars, who have games remaining against Elmont, Great Neck North, Manhasset, New Hyde Park and Sewanhaka, avenged a loss in the first meeting with the Seahawks. “We were much better defensively and on the boards this time,” Block noted.