MacArthur rallies for playoff win

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A spirited second-half comeback and some clutch plays in crunch time earned MacArthur’s boys’ basketball team its first playoff win in 10 years last Saturday.

Senior guard Ryan Cunningham made two free throws with 2.3 seconds remaining to give the Generals a 58-56 overtime victory against Port Washington in a Nassau County Class AA first-round game. MacArthur’s first playoff win since the 2004-05 campaign advanced the eighth-seeded Generals (11-7), who rallied from an eight-point third-quarter deficit, to face top-seeded Baldwin in the quarterfinals Thursday evening.  

“This was a major goal to accomplish,” MacArthur head coach Eric Rubin said of earning the program’s first postseason win in a decade. “It was very exciting.”

A late surge by MacArthur put the Generals up 54-50 with just over a minute left before Port Washington forced overtime on two free throws from Zach Jimenez with 16.9 seconds left. The Generals clamped down defensively in the overtime session allowing just two points and forced a stop with 11 seconds left that led to Cunningham getting fouled after driving the lane to set up the winning points. 

Rubin said he was proud of how his team fought through an early third quarter spurt by the Vikings that put MacArthur in an eight-point deficit after trailing by one at halftime. The game was played in a packed MacArthur gymnasium that also featured a large contingent of Port Washington fans.

“They really kept their composure,” Rubin said of his players. “They battled back.”

Cunningham helped key the comeback with 16 points including some key 3-pointers. He came into the game averaging 10 points per game.

“His shot wasn’t always falling but he came through when we needed him to,” Rubin said of Cunningham.

Point guard Brian Perez led the Generals offensively with 17 points while facing an aggressive Port Washington press. He didn’t get much of a breather playing 35 of 36 minutes, and in the fourth quarter hit an important baseline shot along with a big 3-pointer.

“He really helped get us in our offense,” said Rubin of Perez’s play at point guard. 

Also scoring in double figures for MacArthur was senior Greg Baumstein with 12 points including two 3-pointers. Rubin also credited Mike Creaven for coming off the bench for some valuable minutes due to foul trouble and nailing two shots from beyond the arc.

“He really stepped up,” said Rubin of Creaven. “We needed him to play important minutes.”

MacArthur next faces a Baldwin team that went undefeated in Conference AA-II and whose only loss this season came to Suffolk County power Brentwood. The Bruins beat the Generals twice during the regular season. The winner of the quarterfinal game advances to the Class AA semifinals on Feb. 27 at Hofstra University’s Mack Sports Complex.

“That is as tough as it gets,” Rubin said of playing at top-seeded Baldwin. “We’re going to give it our all and hope that is enough.”