Clarke can't overcome turnovers

Despite having more turnovers than points in the first half and trailing by as many as 13 in the second half at Mineola last Friday night, Clarke was never out of the Conference A-IV boys’ basketball matchup until less than a minute remained when the Mustangs secured a 44-37 decision.

Junior center Stephen Gessner, playing in just his second game of the season after returning from injury, scored five of his seven points in the fourth quarter as Mineola held off the Rams for its first victory after 13 straight defeats to start the campaign. Senior Gabriel Echeverry led the Mustangs with 10 points, while seniors Kevin Lada (15) and Nestor Haddo (10) reached double figures for Clarke, which won the first meeting between the teams Dec. 20 for its lone win in 12 games to date.

“It’s disappointing, but in the end we couldn’t overcome how we played in the second quarter when we had four points,” Rams head coach Matt Weinman said. “We hoped to get out of here with a win, but it’s tough to beat anyone when you turn the ball over 22 times. That’s a lot of possessions to give away. It’s unacceptable.”

Lada, Haddo and junior Tom Valente had early baskets to give the Rams a 7-4 lead, but their inability to protect the ball and shooting woes helped Mineola use an 11-point spurt to lead by eight midway through the second quarter. Senior Austin Ceris hit his first of two shots from behind the arch on the night for Clarke’s first points of the quarter to stop the bleeding, but Weinman’s team had just 11 at halftime and trailed by five.

“It’s just a matter of protecting the ball better and converting some of those additional chances,” he said. “We went toe-to-toe with Roosevelt and were tied in the fourth quarter in a game we had only seven turnovers. That’s the kind of ball we have the ability to play.”

Mineola continued its momentum into the second half and increased its lead to 28-15 by the midway mark of the third quarter, thanks in large part to a pair of treys from senior Chris Farrell and one from Echeverry. But Haddo sparked a run by Clarke that put the outcome in doubt. He scored six points in the quarter and assisted on junior John Zaino’s trey that brought the visitors within 32-26 heading into the fourth. “Nestor got us back in it,” Weinman said. “It was one of his better games of the season.”

It was a one possession game after Haddo assisted on a Lada basket to cut the deficit to 37-34 with 2:50 remaining. Following a timeout by Mineola head coach Jim Hegmann, Gessner knocked down a short jumper and sank a pair of free throws to help secure a long-awaited win for the Mustangs.

Remaining opponents for the Rams are Roosevelt, Cold Spring Harbor, Locust Valley, and Seaford.