South Side holds off Hewlett

South Side is one step away from capturing its first Nassau County boys’ basketball championship since the 2003-04 campaign.

The second-seeded Cyclones had four players score in double figures and held off No. 6 Hewlett, 57-46, in a Class A semifinal game Tuesday afternoon at SUNY-Old Westbury. Senior forward Ryan Spadaford had 17 points and senior point guard Darren Nickelson added 16 as South Side advanced to face No. 5 Jericho in the title game this Saturday at Hofstra at 2 p.m. The Jayhawks blew out No. 8 Great Neck North, 54-25, in the other semifinal.

“We came out with a lot of energy and finished with a lot of energy,” Cyclones coach Jerry D’Angelo said. “I think we got them out of their comfort zone early. They came back in the second quarter and hung with us in the third, but we made some key shots and free throws down the stretch.”

The Bulldogs, who got 17 points from junior forward Weldon Irvine and 11 points from sophomore center Avery Feldman, battled back from a 13-point second-quarter deficit to get to within a basket midway through the third but couldn’t overcome a 4-for-14 performance from the foul line.

“We came here off excellent back-to-back games and I thought we played pretty well again with the exception of missed free throws,” said Hewlett coach Bill Dubin, whose team notched impressive playoff victories over No. 11 Bethpage and No. 14 Roslyn. “We were a little stagnant in the first quarter, but then we got the ball inside for some baskets and played great defense for three quarters.”

South Side (18-2) came out of the gate hot from the perimeter as Spadaford and fellow seniors Kevin Coyle (11 points) and Robert Picchioni (10) combined to hit four shots from behind the arc in the opening quarter as it built an 18-8 lead.

Feldman, who had 17 points in the first-round playoff win over Bethpage, picked up two fouls in the first five minutes but ignited Hewlett (13-5) midway through the second upon his return. Trailing 23-10, Irvine and senior Harrison Brenner sandwiched treys around one by Coyle, and Feldman tacked on a free throw and field goal to close the gap to seven by halftime.

“They played a lot more physical than when we saw them in December,” D’Angelo said. “Irvine and Feldman did an excellent job in the paint. It didn’t catch us by surprise, but it certainly kept them in the game.”  

The Bulldogs continued their momentum in the third quarter and with Irvine leading the way got within 28-26 after he finished a nifty give-and-go with Brenner. South Side responded by scoring 11 of the next 15 points and Hewlett got no closer than five in the fourth.

“We’ve come this far in three of the last four years,” Dubin said. “It’s a nice accomplishment. To take that next step we have to take advantage of every opportunity.”