VSC remains in playoff hunt

With its playoff chances changing by the day, Valley Stream Central boys’ basketball made its toughest bus trip of the season Jan. 31 and found a way to avenge an earlier defeat to Great Neck South, taking a 53-45 victory behind senior point guard Ahunna Okoko’s 20 points and 12 rebounds.

The Eagles, who endured a 45-minute ride and then had to sit through the JV game prior to taking the court, started slow but outscored the Rebels by a 19-9 margin to lead by four at halftime. Junior Tyler Ray scored 19 points, including five treys, and sophomore Dawin Fanor added eight points as Central improved to 6-6 overall and 4-5 in Conference A-I.

“Every game is important,” VSC head coach Hayward Alfred said. “Great Neck South beat us the first time [60-51 on Jan. 5] and they play physical and slow the pace down. We didn’t shoot well early but we made some nice runs in the second and third quarters and hit our free throws down the stretch.”

Alfred said he was particularly pleased with the Eagles effort on the defensive end after yielding 72 and 69 points to Calhoun and Garden City, respectively, in their two previous games, both narrow defeats. “Our defense has been a lot better since the beginning of the season for a lot of reasons,” Alfred explained. “We had a young team with Ahunna being our only kid returning with a good deal of varsity experience. So I learned our personnel more and more and defined the kids’ roles better and better.”

Junior forward Jaicob Tejada, who played sparingly last winter, usually gets the toughest defensive assignment. He pulled down 12 rebounds at Great Neck South and chips in 6.5 points per game on average. “He’s our Mr. Do-It-All,” Alfred said. “He had a strong offseason and plays a big role now. He’s an undersized forward who’s quick and athletic. He’ll rebound, defend, score and dive after every loose ball.”

The growth in Ray’s game continues to climb, Alfred added. Ray helps the Eagles stretch defenses (31 three pointers) and ranks second on the team in scoring behind Okoko at 18.3 points per game. “He’s really coming into his own,” Alfred said.

Okoko (20.6 ppg) is Central’s quarterback on the floor and has scored in double figures in all 11 games he’s played. He tied a season-high of 24 points in the 69-67 home setback to defending county champion Garden City on Jan. 29 at Memorial Junior High. “He’s our go-to guy but he also knows other teams know it,” Alfred said. “He lets the game come to him and he’s unselfish. He’s having an All-County season.”

Seniors Armani O’Brady and Jason Peat, and juniors Chris Lewis and Dakari Songui are also playing key roles for the Eagles, who need to win two of their last three games [Mepham, Herricks and MacArthur] to qualify for the Class A playoffs.

“Every night is a battle,” Alfred said. “No matter what happens, we’ve become a much better team than when we started.”