Young Elmont meeting challenges

Fair or unfair, the members of the Elmont boys’ basketball team take the floor with the proverbial bullseye on their backs each and every night. The fact that most of the players from the 2016 state championship team have graduated is irrelevant. When you’re the defending champs, opponents bring their A game to try to knock you off.

Despite a young lineup with little varsity experience, the Spartans have passed nearly every test they’ve faced. After last Saturday’s 60-51 victory over Brentwood in the final game of the Nassau-Suffolk Challenge at Uniondale High School, Elmont improved to 9-2 (4-1 in Nassau A-I.) 

Junior guard Victor Olawoye scored a career-high 28 points, 12 of which came during a 23-3 third quarter run which gave the Spartans a 45-34 lead. Olawoye hit six of Elmont’s 10 three-point field goals. Brentwood (10-2), which has won two of the past three Long Island Class AA championships, got 17 points from freshman Zed Key and 15 from senior Rahmel Allen. 

The game came less than 24 hours after the Spartans fell at home to Sewanhaka 52-42 for their first Conference A-1 loss. Junior Kamaal Chin (14) and Jaydan Boyd combined to score 26 points to lead the Indians. Rahim Akinwomni added 10 points and 10 rebounds. Freshman point guard Jevon Santos scored 12 points in a losing effort to lead the Spartans. Sewanhaka improved to 8-4 (3-2 in league play).

Elmont head coach George Holub was impressed with Sewanhaka, which outscored the Spartans 21-8 in the opening quarter. “They pressured us, and we didn’t respond well,” Holub said. “I give them all the credit. Jay (Allen) and his staff do a great job of coaching over there. They played real well, and it felt at times like there was a lid on the basket for us. We just couldn’t get a shot to fall. They have a very nice team.”

In addition to beating Brentwood, the Spartans have had quality, non-conference wins over Albany Academy, Deer Park, Chaminade, and Hempstead. Despite the success, the team has had good, bad, and indifferent moments in every game.

“When you’re young like us, there are always going to be growing pains,” Holub said. “The team is growing, and guys are starting to fill their roles. We need to be more consistent, and get better at slowing things down and being calm. In pressure-packed situations, we need to play more under control. It’s a cliché, but we just have to take one game at a time. Hopefully, we’ll be a more mature team at playoff time.”

While Elmont’s ability to play shutdown defense is always the key to its success, in its 73-68 victory over Chaminade, a team expected to battle for CHSAA supremacy, the Spartans showed that they have multiple scoring threats. KC Ndefo scored 25 points, and Jaylin Miller and Olawoye added 23 and 25, respectively.

Elmont welcomes in Garden City on Thursday, Jan. 19 at 4:45 p.m.