62.0°,
Mostly Cloudy East Rockaway captures Class C crown
Rocks knock off Friends Academy, 42-39, to win the Nassau County championship
It took a few years, but East Rockaway finally got the monkey off its back.
The Rocks used a balanced offensive attack, and a stingy defense to knock off No.1 Friends Academy, 42-39, to win the Nassau County Class C championship at C.W. Post’s Pratt Recreation Center last Sunday.
Senior guard Michael Lores scored 12 points to lead No. 2 East Rockaway’s first victory over Friends since the 2005-2006 season.
The Rocks, who won their third county title, advanced to the Long Island championship game. They’ll take on Pierson on Tuesday, March 6 at 5 p.m. at SUNY-Farmingdale. The Whalers advanced with a dramatic 34-32 win over Stony Brook in the Suffolk Class C title game.
Rocks coach Joe Lores thought his team executed the game plan. “We came in looking to make someone other than their two top scorers beat us,” Lores said. “We did a nice job on defense, and carried out what we worked on in practice. When we played them during the regular season, we tried to press, and it didn’t work out. It’s great any time you can win a title.”
From the get go, it looked like it would be the Rocks day. East Rockaway, which has won six of the last seven games, had a 10-point lead late in the opening half, and did a solid job at holding Friends’ junior center Kellan Sehring and senior guard Marc Godlis in check. Godlis came into the contest averaging 23 points per game over his last five. The Rocks held a 25-17 lead at the break.
Back came the defending Class C state champions. With East Rockaway struggling to find its rhythm, the Quakers crept back into the game and trailed by just four points — 31-27 — at the end of three quarters.
The teams took the court like a couple of prized fighters for the final eight minutes. Every possession was critical, and both teams appeared to play a little cautious.
In the end, it was a bit of old school basketball that put the Rocks over the top. First junior David McClure and senior Danny McClure executed textbook pick-and-rolls on consecutive possessions which resulted in a lay up by Danny McClure, and a three from the top of the key by David McClure.
Each time the Rocks appeared to put the game away, the Quakers kept the outcome in doubt. But Michael Lores drove hard to the bucket and saw his teardrop find the bottom of the net, and then Joey Lores executed a give-and-go with David McClure. Joey Lores got into the paint, pump faked, and then brought the crowd to its feet by kissing the ball off the glass while drawing the foul.
Trailing by three in the final minute, Friends had opportunities to tie the game, and got two clean looks, but senior Sean Bohan pulled down a crucial rebound and the Rocks held on. Senior Justin Jonas had 10 points and grabbed eight boards.
