Elmont ousts Sewanhaka in thriller

Posted

After splitting a pair of tight matchups during the regular season, the rubber match between No. 1 Elmont and No. 8 Sewanhaka fittingly came down to the wire Feb. 21 as the local rivals went toe-to-toe in a Nassau Class A boys’ basketball quarterfinal.

Elmont junior Isiah Barnes hit a 10-foot jumper with 1:47 remaining to provide the 13th and final lead change and the Spartans got clutch plays in the closing minute from senior Jaiyetoro Gordon-Younge to hold on for a thrilling 48-44 victory before a standing-room-only crowd at home.

“It was the type of game everyone expected,” Elmont head coach George Holub said. “We know each other too well. Sewanhaka is a solid, well-coached team and they took a lot of things away from us today. We had to dig deep into our bag to find a way.”

Gordon-Younge had a steal that led to junior Gus Louis’ basket with 1:06 left to boost Elmont’s lead to 45-42. Then after senior Joseph Hicks brought the Indians back within a point, Gordon-Younge hit a free throw with 15 seconds to go and ripped down his game-high 14th rebound with 2.7 seconds left after the visitors nearly forced overtime on freshman Devin Grant’s driving layup attempt.

“Jaiyetoro was a beast on the boards,” Holub said. “He’s the toughest kid we’ve got. He played like there’s no tomorrow and that’s exactly what was at stake.”

Louis sealed Elmont’s spot in the Final Four with two free throws with 1.3 remaining. The Spartans (16-5) advanced to face fifth-seeded Manhasset in the semifinals, with the winner getting a spot in the county title game against either No. 2 Lynbrook or No. 3 Valley Stream South this Sunday at 3 p.m. at Farmingdale State College.

Junior Jevon Santos led all scorers with 15 points. Barnes had 13 and Louis added 10. The Indians (14-7) got 14 points from Hicks, who was saddled with foul trouble throughout and sat out the last five minutes of the third quarter and first three minutes of the fourth. Junior Preston Harts added 10 points for Sewanhaka, which knocked off defending champion Garden City in the first round.

“We’ve been a defensive team all season,” Sewanhaka head coach Jay Allen said. “Normally when we hold an opponent to 48 points, we’d win. We just had a couple of offensive lulls today. Elmont also made some clutch shots under pressure.”

Both teams enjoyed large spurts in the first half before the game evolved into a see-saw affair. The Indians led 15-8 late in the first quarter after Hicks trey, but Elmont responded with a 12-point run. Sewanhaka then scored 11 of the last 15 points of the half to lead 26-24.

The Spartans took a 34-33 lead into a final quarter that had the entire gym rocking. “It seems like every time we play it comes down to one or two plays,” Holub said. “It’s become a great rivalrly.”