Kennedy's playoff hopes alive

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With a handful of games remaining in a season mired by inconsistency, Kennedy boys’ basketball was in dire need of a signature victory to keep its playoff hopes alive.

Standing in the way on Jan. 20 was a Hewlett team that one month earlier had handled the Cougars to the tune of a 19-point victory. But this time Kennedy was up for the challenge.

Propelled by a quick offensive start by junior Marco Travaglione and a relentless defensive effort by a trio of players on Hewlett’s top scorer, Kennedy earned its signature victory, 59-51.

The win pushed Kennedy’s record to 4-4 in Conference A-II. Though a loss to undefeated Sewanhaka six days later dropped them under .500, a playoff spot remains within reach if Kennedy can win two of its final three games.    

“We’re a good team in a really tough league,” said head coach Rory Block. “Going into the season, if you would’ve told me with three games left to play we’d have a shot at the playoffs, I would’ve taken that.”

Kennedy’s playoff hopes were looking slim after a tough loss to Roslyn on Jan. 18, a game that they trailed by 10 in the second half but came back to cut the deficit to one with under a minute left, but ultimately lost, 54-50.

“That was a disappointing loss,” said Block. “So I was really impressed with our guys that they came ready to play against a [Hewlett] team that handled them easily the first time. I thought they showed a lot of character.”

In that game, Travaglione scored 21 of his season-high 29 points in the first half. All-County senior forward Steven Carlson pitched in 16 points, and senior guard Josh Kaplan contributed 10 points, six rebounds and three assists.

But a major key to the victory, Block said, was shutting down Hewlett’s Luca Preziosi, who was averaging more than 30 points per game at the time. A rotation of senior Skyler Gershon, junior Zach Rosenfeld and senior Jordan Pitti held Preziosi to just 10 points, the only time this season he has failed to reach at least 20 points.

“It was the biggest win of the year,” Block said. “A great team effort.”

Winning two if its next three is a tall task, Block acknowledged, but an achievable one. They begin the stretch against a Roosevelt squad – who previously beat them by 19 points – on the road on Jan. 30, after the Herald went to press, but then play two teams they previously defeated by a combined 81 points: Glen Cove at home on Feb. 2, and Plainedge on the road on Feb. 10.  

But Block said they will take it one game at a time.

“We have struggled with consistency all season, so you never take anything for granted,” the coach said. “I think that if we come ready to play we can definitely win two of three. Really, it depends on us.”