Surging V.S. Central defeats Long Beach

Injuries and illness were much to blame for Valley Stream Central’s difficult 0-5 start, but the Eagles are healthy now and on a positive flight path that could land them in the Nassau Class AA boys’ basketball playoffs.

Their athleticism, work ethic and chemistry were on full display Friday night in Long Beach where they led from start to finish and by as many as 23 points in a 60-48 Conference AA3 victory.

“We had a lot of ups and downs at the beginning of the season with injuries and guys getting sick,” said senior Saige Frisco, who hit for 19 of his game-high 21 points in the first half to help Central build a 36-18 halftime cushion. “We’ve always had the pieces and we’re starting to show what we can do when we put it all together,” he added.

Sophomore point guard Sean O’Neil had 16 points and senior Matthew Neckles 11 points and 14 rebounds as the Eagles upped their record to 5-8 overall and 4-3 in conference games. Juniors Kyle Thomas and Jamin Legagneaur and freshman Jaiya Vera all had 4 points apiece.

The Marines (6-5 overall, 1-4 in AA3), who made a significant push late in the third quarter with a 14-point spurt, were navigated on both ends of the floor by senior Blake Salice-Mitchell (17 points, 10 rebounds, 6 blocks.)

“These guys want to win and they believe in what it takes to win,” second-year Central head coach Mike Wimmer said. “It’s an unselfish group and we’ve had a lot of different leading scorers.”

Missed opportunities in the paint, especially in the first half, contributed greatly to Long Beach digging too deep a hole to crawl out of, head coach Scott Martin said. Senior Mike Main added 13 points and senior Shaquille Johnson chipped in 8.

“We came out poorly and we were forced to get away from how we like to play,” Martin said. “We had to resort to pressuring and doubling to try to get back into the game. It worked and we turned the momentum around for a while, but you can only sustain that kind of tempo for so long.”

Frisco scored 10 points in the opening quarter, including a pair of pull-up jumpers from behind the arc in transition, to help the Eagles exploded to a 16-4 lead after eight minutes.

“I’ve never been so happy with the way a team defends,” Wimmer said. “They’re buying into the messages and executing.”

Central’s largest lead was 43-20 early in the third quarter. That’s when the Marines’ sense of urgency led to a run of 14 straight points, keyed by Salice-Mitchell’s six. The margin was down to single digits before the Eagles ripped off four straight baskets in the final 1:17 of the third to take a 51-34 lead into the fourth.

“They’re a good team and we missed a bunch of layups early on that didn’t help,” Martin said. “I’m proud of the way we fought back. We need to keep our focus and worry about what’s in front of us.”

Central hosts the rematch, which also happens to be the regular-season finale, Feb. 10.