Jets hoping for rebound

Though East Meadow boasts the top scorer in Conference AA-II boys basketball, junior Joe Campay who’s pouring in close to 20 points per game and grabbing more than 12 rebounds, and a strong perimeter defense, wins have been tough to come by.

The Jets dropped their seventh conference game in a row, 46-29, to Port Washington last Friday and fell to 1-9 overall. The losses include a three-point decision in the first meeting with the Vikings, and a nine-point loss to MacArthur in what was a three-point game in the final two minutes. The victory, a 61-51 decision, came over playoff-bound Great Neck South.

“We’ve been fairly competitive we just can’t get over the hump,” East Meadow coach Barry Dickson said. “Part of the reason we’ve been competitive is because we’ve defended the perimeter.”

Seniors Marvin Cajoles and Cody Zafrin along with sophomore Damien Sanders, a recent call-up from the junior varsity, have locked down the perimeter and it’s had a trickle-down effect on the entire defense. Through 10 games, East Meadow had limited six opponents to 52 or fewer points. “The guards have been playing hard defensively,” Dickson is quick to point out. “It’s just a struggle offensively. Overall the team is [playing with] effort and they don’t quit.”

Offensively, however, the load has fallen almost solely on the shoulders of Campay, who’s responded with a versatile game that takes him both above and below the three-point line. On top of an aggressiveness that he uses to get to the basket, the junior also leads the team in three-pointers and continues to develop his outside range. He’s scored at least 19 in all but two games. “He’s the leading scorer in the conference despite the fact teams know he’s going to take most of our shots,” Dickson said. “He’s our leading three-point shooter and he’s got to step out, otherwise [teams] will triple-team him.”

Cajoles, who led the Jets with nine points in the loss to Port Washington, is not only among the quickest on the football field, where he helped key East Meadow’s run to a Nassau County championship in the fall. Cajoles’ speed translates to the hardwood as well, where he can get into the lane and the free-throw line. “If we want to win and not just be competitive we have to have a second scorer step up,” Dickson said.

The Jets travel to first-place Baldwin for an 8 p.m. tipoff on Friday, and host Valley Stream Central on Tuesday at 7 p.m. In the first meeting with the Bruins, an 85-53 loss on Dec. 20, Campay scored a game-high 25 points.