V.S. Central sweeps Long Beach

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For the second time in less than 72 hours, Valley Stream Central’s boys’ basketball team used a balanced offensive attack and strong rebounding to knock off Conference AA/A-III rival Long Beach.

The Eagles had seven players score at least six points against the Marines for a second time last Saturday and they led from midway through the opening quarter until the final horn in a 75-56 victory at Memorial Junior High. Making his second straight start in place of standout junior point guard Ahunna Okoko, sophomore Dakari Songui poured in a career-high 18 points to lead all scorers in a fast-paced game featuring 145 shot attempts.

Senior Ryan Germosen had 12 of his 15 points in the second half, sophomore Nate Grimsley added 10 points, while senior Dion Delvalle and junior Colin Chevry chipped in nine apiece as Central upped its conference record to 5-4 and clinched a playoff spot while leaving Long Beach (3-6) little margin for error to do so.

“The one constant for us this season is defense,” VSC head coach Hayward Alfred said. “Our defense has kept us in every game. We let one get away from us last Saturday in the fourth quarter against Calhoun, but we’ve bounced back with two good wins.”

The Eagles (8-5 overall) responded to Long Beach’s second-half rally Jan. 25 and came away with a 64-55 victory behind double-digit scorers Emmanuel St. Fleur (15), Darin Sisco (11) and Songui (10.) Last Saturday, they fought off a few spurts by the Marines (5-11 overall) and led by at least four throughout the second half.

“They like to play fast and we like to play fast,” Long Beach head coach Scott Martin said. “The two games were similar. They just shot a little better and rebounded a little better. They had a couple more runs and that was the difference. We definitely fought hard and brought the effort.”

Back-to-back treys by Songui and Chevre broke an early tie at 8 and Central held a 16-15 lead after one quarter despite Long Beach junior Lashawn Hankins (15 points) beating the buzzer with a shot from behind the arc. The margin swelled to 35-25 at halftime as Delvalle scored seven points in the second quarter, including a nifty put-back of a missed free throw.

The Marines chipped away in the third quarter behind junior Gerard Burns, who led them with 16 points, and senior Tristan Groh, who added 11. They combined for all of the team’s first 10 points in the second half, junior Sean Steele added two free throws, and Hankins a short jumper to cut Central’s advantage to 43-39 with 2:15 remaining in the third.

“They made a similar run at us the other night and tied it,” Alfred said. “We just had to stay composed.”

Germosen and Grimsley, recently promoted from the JV, keyed a 14-3 run and the Eagles were suddenly in cruise control leading 57-42 with 6:09 left.

“This hurts our playoff chances but we still have a shot,” Martin said. “If we win two of the last three, we’re in. One might be enough, but it’s hard to say.”