PLAYOFFS: Great Neck North Ousts Cyclones in 1st Round, 71-59

This wasn't how South Side's season was supposed to end.

The Cyclones came into last night's matchup against No. 15 Great Neck North as a No. 2 seed with an 11-1 record. South Side was considered a heavy favorite against the 10-7 Blazers, but Great Neck North was unfazed by the daunting task of trying to knock off the Conference A-II champs, shooting 76 percent (13-for-17) from behind the three-point arc and stunning South Side, 71-59.

"You have to give them credit," Head Coach Gerry D'Angelo said.  "They shot the ball well and got us out of sync early."

Shooting the ball well is an understatement. Of its first ten field goals, Great Neck North knocked down eight three-pointers in the game's opening ten minutes. The Blazers Jacob Aghelian came out on fire, hitting four three-pointers and finished the first half with 16 points. Aghelian ended the game with a career-high 31 points.

South Side started the game as it had against Sewanhaka last Friday, falling into a quick 13-2 deficit five minutes in. The Cyclones battled back to end the first down 16-11, but the Blazers opened the second quarter on a tear. Great Neck North hit five more threes, and with 1:15 left in the half, pushed its lead to 16 at 37-21. South Side finished the final 85 seconds on an 8-0 run to end the half down 37-29.

D'Angelo said he told his team at halftime to build off the final minute of the half. "I told them we made a run, and carry that momentum into the third quarter," he said.

The two teams traded baskets for the entire third quarter, equaling each other's point totals at 17. Down 54-46 entering the fourth quarter, South Side had eight minutes to extend its season.

The Cyclones defensive intensity picked up, forcing five Great Neck turnovers during a 10-3 South Side run to close the Blazers lead to four at 60-56. The South Side faithful erupted, and the energy in the gym was palpable. South Side had all the momentum, but they were over the foul limit, which hindered how tight they could press.

But four points was as close as South Side would get.

The Blazers iced the win from the charity stripe, hitting 11 of its final 14 free throws. Great Neck's Alec Ludwig, a freshman, had 10 of his 19 points in the final eight minutes, including 7 of 8 from the charity stripe.

South Side missed its last seven shots. "I'm upset we played a reckless game," D'Angelo said. "We didn't execute when we needed to."

It was a poor shooting game for South Side. The Cyclones average around five or six three pointers a game. Kevin Coyle sank South Side's lone three-pointer in the first quarter. DJ Nickelson finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and four steals. Ryan Spadaford had 19 points and 10 rebounds.

The team will return nine players next year with a senior-stacked roster. D'Angelo said he thanked this year's seniors — Sean Weber, Kevin Waxon and Taaj Cox — for improving their program and hopes this loss inspires his team next year. "Hopefully we learn from this and it motivates them," he said.