Rocks and Owls meet: The boys
The cliché that you can ignore the records when the East Rockaway and Lynbrook boys meet on the basketball court in the annual Friendship Games is applicable just about every year. Each season the matchup between the crosstown rivals promises to be epic, and often goes down to the final shot.
The 77th meet exceeded those expectations when senior Mike McVeigh buried a 20-foot jumper as the buzzer sounded to give visiting Lynbrook a dramatic 60-57 victory over East Rockaway. The Owls battled back from a 13-point deficit. McVeigh scored 34 points to lead all scorers.
A 21-5 run by Lynbrook, which began late in the opening half, gave the Owls a 35-32 lead with 2:10 to play in the third quarter. But, the Rocks fought back. Consecutive three-pointers by senior Patrick Kelly gave East Rockaway a 45-37 lead early in the final quarter, setting the stage for a finish that the locals have become accustomed to seeing.
Trailing 57-55, the Owls missed back-to-back attempts, but Daniel Schepis pulled down an offensive rebound and was fouled while scoring his only basket of the game with five seconds remaining.
After the free throw was missed, McVeigh picked off the outlet pass and nailed the winner. Sophomore Danny Fusco led the Rocks with 19 points. Senior Luke Giordano played a big role in the win, scoring eight points off the bench for Lynbrook.
Lynbrook head coach Chris Rube thinks the win will go a long way. “It was important for us to battle back and win,” Rube said. “The guys are working real hard, but need a little more confidence. This is a huge win for us.”
