Malverne back on winning track

After seeing its season-long, four-game winning streak come to an end, Malverne got back on track Feb. 3 with some offensive fireworks in an 86-76 victory at Carle Place in a Conference B boys’ basketball game.

The Mules (7-8 overall) had four players score in double figures, led by senior Kevin Young’s 28-point, 16-rebound outburst, on the way to improving to 5-3 against conference rivals. Seniors James Choisi (11), Richard Holland (11) and Warren Jones (10) also contributed plenty to the team’s highest-scoring game of the season.

“It’s a good bounce-back win, but we can’t keep playing with 10 fouls a half regardless of who we’re facing,” Malverne assistant coach Walter Aksionoff said. “Our offense was solid tonight, but we know we have to cut down on the fouls and get better defensively to go deep in the playoffs.”

Lucan Golon scored 25 points to lead Carle Place, which also stands at 5-3 in Conference B. Oyster Bay is holding down first place with a 6-2 mark, and Cold Spring Harbor, which beat the Mules on Jan. 30 to complete a season sweep, is 5-3. The Class B semifinals are this Saturday at C.W. Post. “It’s a race to the finish,” Aksionoff said. “It’s going to come down to which team steps up its game, and hopefully that’s us.”

Young, who missed some time with a concussion, had a season-high in points and boards. He scored 11 points in the opening quarter, and Jones added six, as Malverne took a 23-19 lead. “Kevin can be dominant,” Aksionoff said of Young, who averages 20 points per game. “He came back recently along with Warren and Kazeem [Martelly], so we’re just starting to rebuild the chemistry,” he added. “We only have two more games to get into a rhythm and build some momentum for the playoffs.”

The Mules got points from seven different players, including a trey at the buzzer from junior Kareem Headley, in the second quarter and led 48-40 at halftime of a wide-open game. Jones, who averages 15 per game, had three baskets in the quarter and Choisi added two.

The Frogs, who rely heavily on outside shooting, stayed within striking distance thanks to guards Michael O’Connell and Austin Topel. Both finished with 18 points and combined for six treys. “We gave them too many open looks,” Aksionoff said. 

The margin was trimmed to 51-49 early in the third following a pair of Golon free throws. The Mules then scored 19 of the next 26 points, nine by Young, and led 70-56 early in the fourth when their seventh foul of the half put Carle Place in the bonus.

“Fouls are a problem,” Aksionoff said. “Some games you find a way to overcome them. When we played Cold Spring Harbor, they made 30 free throws. That’s ridiculous.”

During its four-game winning streak in January, Malverne avenged a loss to Oyster Bay with a thrilling 65-62 home triumph on Holland’s three-pointer with 3.5 seconds remaining.