Malverne (14-2) gears up for playoffs

Malverne’s boys’ basketball team notched an impressive win against East Rockaway last Friday by the score of 74-41.

Malverne, a serious contender for the Nassau Class B championship, demonstrated how well it can utilize its strengths to its advantage. Mules assistant coach Walter Aksionoff thought the game was a potential learning experience for some of the players who haven’t had particularly large roles this season.

“Trey Robinson just dominated a little bit,” Aksionoff stated. “I was able to get in some of my guys who haven’t been playing a lot. They have to see what it takes to be on the court.”

The Mules more or less won this game on the boards, as they did a great job of capitalizing on the inherent height difference between the two rosters. Robinson, fellow senior DeAndre Blagrove and junior Joshua Croom all finished with double digits rebounds. Robinson was able to score seemingly at will, as his game-high 34 points came mostly from put backs off of offensive rebound and mid-range jumpers. Blagrove also was a force on the offensive end, as he had 17 points and 13 rebounds, overpowering defenders at time with size alone.

Malverne is in an enviable position currently, as the Mules currently hold a 14-2 overall record and are assured a No. 1 or 2 seed in the playoffs. Certain factors seem promising in regard to the Mules’ potential postseason run.

“We’ve got to get rest and heal with our 3 games coming up,” Aksionoff stated. “I think we are sitting good as of now. I’d like to think that we are going to be in second place but we’ll find out. Luckily, I think we are peaking at the right time so that will help us.

Malverne will close its regular season out with games against Locust Valley, Carle Place, and then will finish off with West Hempstead.

For East Rockaway, the differential in size seemed to be the central catalyst for the disappointing loss. There were certain plays where no amount off hustle or heart could compensate for the differentials in stature. Still, the team did not quit and never let up at any juncture off the game. There were periods where it seemed that the game could have gotten out of hand, but the team managed to keep the game competitive until the Mules pulled away late.

“My team doesn’t quit,” East Rockaway head coach Paul Collins stated. “I’m very proud of them for never giving up. I think we were down 26 and one point and they brought it back to 17 so I’m proud of them for that. We just have to clean up some small things and we’ll be more successful.”

Junior Tyler Hyland and senior Aidan Green led the Rocks in scoring with 13 points apiece. The duo was also responsible for all 3 of the converted 3-point attempts for the Rocks. Senior Joseph Giammona contributed 8 points, and was perfect from the foul line on 6 attempts.