The Lynbrook boys’ basketball team is in a three-team race for the Conference A-4 title as the season approaches its final weeks.
The Owls entered the week second in the standings with a 6-2 mark (11-4 overall), one game behind first-place Floral Park and a half-game up on Plainedge for third. Lynbrook and Floral Park have four games remaining, while Plainedge has five.
Lynbrook had an opportunity to control its own destiny for a second conference title in three full seasons but was edged by Floral Park 53-52 on Jan. 19. The teams split the season series after the Owls escaped with a 54-52 victory on Dec. 15 thanks to Peter Donnarumma’s 3-pointer with 10 seconds left and a key free throw by leading scorer Eli Sherman-Murphy that iced the game.
“The Floral Park game was a game that we expected, down to the last possession,” head coach Jamie Adams said. “We had the ball with four seconds left with an opportunity to win.”
Lynbrook rebounded with a 75-47 win over Mineola last Saturday to officially clinch a playoff spot. The Owls will visit Plainedge on Friday in hopes of avenging an 83-58 loss on Dec. 23, when they got outscored 54-26 in the second half.
“He’s one of the best kids I’ve ever coached,” Adams said. “He wants to do whatever it takes to win.”
Junior Sean O’Donovan (9.6 ppg) is an energetic guard who can be counted on for the key basket and Donnarumma (7.1) is a “smart player” who can shoot and rebound. Junior Brian Sugrue and senior Sean Lengyel have both provided sparks off the bench and are 3-point threats.