Clarke can't protect halftime lead

Clarke’s inability to build a comfortable halftime lead despite holding visiting Island Trees to a mere eight points came back to haunt the Rams in last Friday’s Nassau Conference A-IV boys’ basketball game.

Island Trees scored half of its points from the foul line, including 17 in the second half, and rallied to all but solidify a playoff spot with a lackluster 40-35 victory. Kevin Dixon and Ryan Kelly scored 11 points apiece to lead the Bulldogs, who completed a season sweep of Clarke and improved to 6-2 in conference play. The Rams (3-6 in A-IV) got a game-high 12 points from senior Ryan Widing.

“It’s a tough one to lose because we accomplished a lot of things we set out to do tonight,” Clarke head coach Joe Hasbrouck said. “At the top of our checklist was slowing down their offense and we did just that. Our defensive effort was there. We just had a tough time getting any easy looks.”

The Bulldogs couldn’t buy a basket in the first half and hit just two field goals on nearly 30 attempts. The Rams jumped out to a 5-0 lead on senior Jimmy Posillico’s layup, a short jumper in the paint by junior Kyle Kandel, and a Widing free throw. Island Trees didn’t get on the board until John Verdi’s jumper 5:06 into the game, yet trailed only 5-4 heading into the second quarter.

“They’re a very quick defensive team,” Hasbrouck said of Island Trees, which also defeated Clarke, 41-31, on Jan. 3. “We had a bunch of turnovers early.”

The off-shooting night for both teams continued in the second, however the hosts found a way to increase the margin to 10-4. Posillico had a traditional three-point play and Wigand a breakaway layup, but a three-minute scoring drought followed. After a Dixon free throw, senior Austin Widing (nine points) nailed his first of two treys to give Clarke its biggest lead at 13-5. Nicholas Carita dialed long distance for Island Trees just before intermission to make it 13-8.

The pace picked up in the second half and the teams combined for 23 third-quarter points after netting just 21 through 16 minutes. Senior Eric Sathue had two baskets and Posillico sank a long trey midway through the third to give the Rams a 19-12 lead, but the Bulldogs scored nine of the next 12 to get within a hoop heading into the fourth.

It was Island Trees’ ability to draw fouls and sink free throws in the final eight minutes that proved the difference. The Bulldogs, who went 20 of 29 from the charity stripe for the game, got five free throws from Dixon early in the fourth and led for the first time, 27-25, with 6:50 to go. 

Clarke surged back in front, 32-31, on a Sathue basket with 3:33 remaining, but it was the last time the Rams would lead. Dixon and Kelly both hit big three-pointers in crunch time.

“We’re in a difficult scenario where we need to win out to make the playoffs,” Hasbrouck said. “We’ll see what happens.”