Basketball playoffs underway

All eight home teams prevailed Friday in Nassau Class A boys’ basketball first-round playoff games, but top-ranked Elmont and fourth-seeded Floral Park were given quite a scare.

Elmont had its hands full with the lowest-seeded team in the tournament—Bethpage—and came away with a 45-40 victory. Next up for Elmont is No. 8 Jericho, a 53-33 winner over No. 9 Valley Stream South.

Floral Park, meanwhile, benefited from a couple of questionable calls late in the fourth quarter of its 60-57 victory over No. 13 Valley Stream North. The underdog Spartans, who had starters Alington Paul and David Nelson foul out, got 23 points from Ryan Kenny.

“I couldn’t be more proud of the way we battled,” VSN coach Fabian Jara said. “We wanted to prove we could compete against the elite teams. We went toe-to-toe with them. It doesn't even feel like we lost." 

With the score tied with 1:08 remaining, Kenny was called for a five-second violation at midcourt despite dribbling the ball with a defender within arm’s reach. The Knights made good on their next possession when Shamoy McIntosh (28 points) hit a pretty reverse layup while drawing Paul’s fifth foul.

Floral Park will face No. 5 Hewlett next. The Bulldogs dominated Great Neck North, 61-39, with Michael Eckerle leading the way with 18 points. They didn’t allow a point in the second quarter.

Sixth-seeded West Hempstead knocked off defending county champion Roslyn, 69-59, behind Jamel Flash’s 21 points. The Rams hope the third time’s a charm against South Side, which beat them twice during the regular season. The third-seeded Cyclones built a 30-point halftime lead and cruised to a 56-41 win over Lawrence.

“We accomplished what we set out to do,” South Side coach Jerry D’Angelo said. “We played intense defense and did a lot of damage in transition.”

No. 2 Westbury rolled over No. 15 Seaford, 82-37, and No. 7 Manhasset avenged two regular-season losses to No. 10 Lynbrook, topping the Owls, 60-45.

The Class A quarterfinals take place next Friday at Hofstra. Games tip-off at noon, 2:30, 5 and 7:30.