VSS repeats as county champion

Falcons overcome slow start to beat Floral Park

Posted

For the second year in a row, Valley Stream South dug out of a hole to capture the Nassau Class A boys’ basketball championship.

The seventh-seeded Falcons allowed the first 7 points and needed three minutes to get on the board against No. 16 Floral Park in last Saturday’s title game, but eventually outlasted the tournament’s Cinderella team, 49-43, in front of 2,500 spectators at Hofstra’s Mack Sports Complex.

“The saying ‘It’s harder to defend a championship than it is to win it the first time’ is completely true,” head coach Matt Johnsen said. “We returned only two starters and came into the season with a bit of a hangover, but we battled every single game and ultimately got the results we were looking for.”

Junior Dana King scored 16 points, and junior Hall Elisias added 9 points and 18 rebounds to lead the Falcons (17-4), who last March rallied from an 11-point deficit to beat Hewlett for their first-ever county championship. Floral Park freshman Brian Fox paced all scorers with 18 points, but senior standout Kevin Cluess (10) managed just half of his season average.

“We never doubted ourselves,” said King, whose 3-point play gave VSS its biggest lead, 44-34, with 2:25 remaining. “We were confident we’d find a way to win. Now we need to take the next step.”

The Falcons, who lost to John Glenn in last year’s Long Island Class A title game, face Bayport-Blue Point for the L.I. crown this Saturday, at 2:30 p.m., at Farmingdale State College.

“Having the two best players in the county helps me sleep at night,” said Johnsen, referring to King and the 6-foot-7 Elisias. “We’re not as explosive as last year, but I always have confidence in Dana down the stretch, and nobody has a center like Hall.”

King had 7 points, and Elisias and sophomore Josh Robinson each added a field goal as VSS scored 11 straight to answer the Knights’ 7-0 run to open the game. “We were in the same situation last week in the semis against Roslyn,” Johnsen said.

“We dug an early hole, and I was just about to call timeout before we started getting our act together. The guys are able to keep their composure when things aren’t going well.”

The Falcons led 15-11 after the opening quarter, and extended the margin to 9 by the midway mark of the second on a basket by senior Tahj Wilson. Floral Park, which upset top-seeded South Side on the way to becoming the first-ever 16th seed to appear in a Nassau final, was back within 1 by halftime after Fox keyed a 10-2 run with a pair of treys.

“Cluess was the one we needed to contain,” Johnsen said. “We did an excellent job holding him to 10, but Fox burned us when we slouched off the perimeter.”

While King and Elisias were both held scoreless in the third, Robinson, senior Murilo Pereira, and junior Jeremi Hernandez combined for all 8 VSS points in the quarter, and the Falcons led 34-32 entering the fourth. “Everyone’s role on this team is important,” King said.

South opened the fourth with a 10-2 run to push its advantage to double digits. The Knights made a final surge with back-to-back treys from senior James Guerriero and Fox to get within 44-40 with less than a minute remaining, but they never got closer.

“We’ve played close games all season long,” Johnsen said. “Even up 10 with two minutes left, I couldn’t relax until the buzzer went off.”