81.0°,
A Few Clouds Cyclones winning streak stopped
Posted
Senior guard David White is back in the lineup after missing four games.
Jeff Wilson/Herald
South Side’s modest three-game winning streak came to a halt last Friday when it fell at Westbury, 70-52, in a Conference ABC-I boys’ basketball game.
“We had our worst shooting night of the season, but I was more upset with our defense,” Cyclones coach Jerry D’Angelo said. “They came out with more intensity and were more aggressive. They had eight offensive rebounds in the first quarter. They really controlled the boards.
“We had a good stretch of games where we were finally healthy and really putting things together. It’s a small setback, and we’ll have to learn from the loss and refocus. We know if we don’t play hard, we’ll lose.”
Lamard Herron (16 points, 12 rebounds) and Sheldon Hagigal (16 points, 10 rebounds) led Westbury, which led 32-21 at the half. Seniors Leon Taylor (12) and Brett Cohen combined for 23 points for South Side, which shot 4-for-24 from three-point range and 6-for-16 from the foul line.
“They used four guards, and it’s something we’ll adjust to next time,” D’Angelo said. “They doubled Leon every time he touched the ball. Our shot selection was fine. We just couldn’t get anything to fall.”
The Cyclones (1-1 in conference play, 6-3 overall) hadn’t lost in three weeks and were coming off an impressive 64-47 victory over Hewlett in the conference opener for both teams on Jan. 5. Taylor busted out for a season-high 26 points, eight rebounds and six assists and Cohen chipped in 18 and grabbed 13 rebounds.
“Our defense set the tone,” D’Angelo said. “We got some early transition baskets off turnovers and did a nice job against their big man and point guards.”
Hewlett standout Michael Eckerle was held to 12 points, far below his average of 20.1 in the Bulldogs’ other seven games. Senior Julius Jones got the assignment on Eckerle, and Cohen provided help defense. “Eckerle was our first concern and I think we caught them off guard with the way we defended him,” D’Angelo said. “Julius is physical and aggressive in the paint and did exactly what we needed him to do. We had Brett slide when the ball got down low and he came up with six steals.”
The Cyclones stayed sharp during vacation with their annual holiday tournament and won it with victories over Oyster Bay and Farmingdale. Senior David White returned from a four-game absence due to a high ankle sprain and totaled 16 points in the two-day event. Taylor netted 20 points in a 60-33 first-round win over Oyster Bay and 24 in a 59-45 win over Farmingdale in the final.
Next on the schedule is a Thursday trip to red-hot Elmont, which took a 9-0 record into this week’s action. Tipoff is 4:30 p.m. “It’s one of the toughest gyms for a visiting team,” D’Angelo said.
Report an inappropriate comment
Comments