Sewanhaka squeaks by Elmont

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When intradistrict rivals Sewanhaka and Elmont meet on the basketball court, scoring is usually at a premium. Each team prides itself on playing ferocious defense, and it is never an oddity when an opponent is held under the 50-point mark.

In last Saturday’s Conference A-II matchup before an exuberant crowd at Sewanhaka High School, something had to give. In the end, it was the Indians scoring just enough to pull out a 52-48 win over an Elmont team that came in undefeated in league play.

Senior guard Joe Hicks led all scorers with 17 points and dished out four assists, and Spardley Jean-Baptiste finished with career-high 12 points while pulling down 13 rebounds to lead Sewanhaka. Elmont, which trailed by nine at the half, got 10 points from Jonathan Maldanado.

With the win, the Indians improved to 13-4 overall, 10-2 in conference play. 

“The difference in the game was our defense,” Sewanhaka head coach Jay Allen said. “Whenever you play a team as talented as Elmont, you need to limit their opportunities and force them to take tough shots. It was important to keep them from getting out on the break and scoring easy baskets.”

The Indians held a 29-20 advantage at the break, but the lead was hardly safe. With Hicks on the bench with four fouls, and the Spartans ramping up their effort on defense, Elmont (13-4 overall (11-1 in Conference A-II) was able to go on a run that evened the score at 36 after three.

Allen gave kudos to Elmont and its head coach George Holub. “To their credit, they came out strong in the second half,” Allen said. “Coach Holub is outstanding at making adjustments. It’s one of the reasons their program is so successful. With Joe in foul trouble, we were just managing the game. They turned us over, and turned the game around.”

As is often case, free throws played in big part in the outcome. Sewanhaka went 19-for-25 from the line, making more than the Spartans attempted. A pair by Lucien Cherubin in the waning moments sealed the victory. Hicks was 9-for-10 for the game.

The contribution from Jean-Baptiste, the player Allen refers to as the cornerstone of the defense, cannot be overstated. The senior forward, who converted a traditional three-point play after taking a pass off a cut in the final two minutes to give Sewanhaka the lead, controlled the paint, and was terrific on the glass.

“Spardley is very valuable to us,” Allen said. “He’s always double-digits in rebounds and today he was a spark on offense. This was a big win for us, but it’s just one game. Anytime you’re successful against a team like Elmont, you feel like you can play with anyone. Our motto is to go 1-0 in every game. We don’t look past that.”

Elmont travels to Great Neck North this Saturday at noon. Sewanhaka pays homage to its seniors when it closes out the regular season, also Saturday at noon, with a game against Bellmore JFK.