Mepham spreading the offense

When junior guard Corey Lichtman tallied a team-high 23 points to the lead the Mepham Pirates to a 61-43 victory against Wantagh on Dec. 29, it marked the sixth time in the team’s first eight games that a different player has the led the squad in points.   

The balanced scoring has been one of the more pleasant surprises that has marked the beginning of Mepham’s season, which, while off to a positive 5-3 overall start, has dropped its first two Conference AA/A-III matchups.  “It’s been fun for us as coaches that somebody different seems to step up every night,” said head coach Pat Fallon, adding. “We’re still trying to improve on the defensive side of things.”

The season began with a pair of nail-biting victories, with the Pirates winning two one-point decisions against East Rockaway and New Hyde Park, on Dec. 1 and Dec. 6, respectively. Their first conference game, on Dec. 19 against crosstown rival Calhoun, followed the same formula, except Mepham finished on the losing side, 51-50. Though the team mounted a comeback and had multiple shots rim out in the final seconds, the team was ultimately unable to overcome a first quarter mired by turnovers in which they were outscored, 19-10.

But there have been many positive signs even in their defeats, said Fallon, including his team’s shooting, particularly from long distance. That was evidenced in their next game, against Long Beach on Dec. 22, when they sunk eight 3-pointers. They were outdone, however, by the 10 3-pointers made by Long Beach, leading them to an 80-69 victory over Mepham. The Pirates’ leading scorer in that one was senior forward Michal Proios with 19 points, who Fallon said also filled up the stat sheet on the defensive side. “He played an unbelievable game that got lost in the loss,” Fallon said of Proios. “He’s been really good.”

Much of the credit for Mepham’s balanced scoring belongs to their senior point guard, Nah’jel Sands, a two-time All-Conference player, who not only has the ability to create his own scoring opportunities, said Fallon, but has the court awareness to often find the hot hand among his teammates. “He’s done a tremendous job, leadership-wise,” Fallon said.

Fallon said he’s also been pleasantly surprised by the play of a handful of his sophomores and juniors, including forward Greg Paul, guard Jack Fontanetta, guard Kieran Gilroy, and Lichtman.  

This week the team began a crucial stretch with six successive conference games, including a rematch at home against Calhoun on Jan. 17. And while qualifying for the playoffs for a third straight season remains the ultimate goal, Fallon expressed the importance of taking it one game at a time and notching that first conference victory.

“We’ve shot the ball well, and with all the different scorers, we’ve played very unselfishly,” he said. “Every game in our conference is going to be close, and very competitive. We’ve just got to close out a couple of close games.”