Wantagh dials long distance at VSS

Three nights after it gave Nassau Conference A-6 boys’ basketball frontrunner Valley Stream North all it could handle, Wantagh continued its tour of the area Feb. 1 and was lights-out from downtown in a crucial 59-46 victory at Valley Stream South.

Junior Oliver Iacobazzi had the hottest hand from behind the arc, hitting five of the Warriors’ nine treys on the way to scoring a game-high 19 points. Senior Charlie Destefano and junior Kevin Gutfleisch added 14 points apiece as Wantagh (7-10 overall, 5-5 in A-6) moved within one win of clinching a spot in the Class A playoffs a year after a run to the semifinals.

“Oliver’s our point guard but we were having trouble scoring so we moved him off to ball to get some different looks and he couldn’t miss,” Wantagh head coach Matt Simeone said. “That’s the thing with us even though we’ve been a little inconsistent. We know our defense is always going to be there and we have a lot of guys who can step up offensively.”

The outcome left the Falcons (5-12 overall, 3-6 in A-6) with no margin for error in terms of playoffs. Junior Brady DelValle had 17 points, senior Dillon Wallace added 10 and sophomore Jaden Pryce chipped in 8.

 “It’s the second game in a row an opponent that usually doesn’t shoot too well from the outside hurt us,” VSS head coach Mike O’Brien said. “We had a nice start but then in the second quarter they just caught fire against our zone. Give Wantagh credit for the way they shot the ball.”

“We’ll need to win our last two and get some help to make the playoffs,” he added. “It’ll be difficult, but it’s not mathematically impossible.”

Wallace had five points and DelValle and freshman Landon Jones two baskets apiece in the opening quarter as the Falcons soared to a 15-10 lead. But the next eight minutes looked nothing like the first eight, thanks in large part to Iacobazzi, who said he didn’t feel any different in warmups.

“We moved the ball really well and created open looks and the shots fell,” said Iacobazzi, who scored 14 of Wantagh’s 24 second-quarter points to help it build a 34-28 halftime advantage. “We’re a hard-working team and when one thing isn’t working, we’ll switch to something else,” he added. “We’re looking to get back to the playoffs and see how far we can go again.”

South managed only six points in the third quarter and the margin swelled to 50-34 as the Warriors carried over their momentum. Gutfleisch had eight points in the third and senior Jake Tate (9 points), one of Wantagh’s leaders all season, made his presence felt.

“We feel like we let one get away the other night [Jan. 29] at Valley Stream North, so this is a huge win for us,” Simeone said. “We had to turn the page and now we have to turn the page again and focus on Floral Park next.”