South Side Defense Stifles Lynbrook in 73-53 Win

After last week's , South Side Head Coach Gerry D'Angelo was downright disgusted with his team's defense. They didn't switch on rotations, lagged on help-side defense and played with a dearth of energy. He implored his team to play defense with a sense of pride, and during Friday night's game against Lynbrook, the Cyclones responded to their coach's plea.

South Side (10-0) played its most complete defensive game of the season in a 73-53 win over Lynbrook at the high school, grabbing a season-high 14 steals and out-rebounding the Owls, 36-14. Junior Ryan Spadaford led the Cyclones with 18 points, eight rebounds and two steals. Guard DJ Nickelson filled the stat sheet again with 11 points, six rebounds, five assists and four steals. 

"We played with intensity, energy and had great communication on defense," D'Angelo said. "First play of the game, you got Ryan diving into the scorer's table for a loose ball."

South Side held Lynbrook's best players — Johnny Emmerich and Kendall Bruton — to 10 and two points, respectively.

From the start of the game, South Side seemed to be playing two levels above Lynbrook in terms of speed and defense. The Cyclones jumped out to a quick 15-2 first-quarter lead in the game's first four minutes, and Lynbrook head coach Chris Rube said South Side's intensity made his team offensively timid.

"Their pressure defense is excellent," Rube said. "It's tough when you can't practice against that level of intensity. We needed to play harder, but we played scared and tentative. We didn't attack."

By the end of the first, South Side held a 21-6 lead, forced six Lynbrook turnovers and every starter had scored. South Side opened the second quarter on a 15-5 run and led by 20 at the half. By the time Lynbrook gained an offensive rhythm in the third quarter, the game was already out of reach.

Before the game, D'Angelo showed his squad some game footage of the 2004 county championship team, and underscored the defensive intensity they played with on every possession. Defense was the foundation to that team's success, he explained, and they took pride in playing that way. "I showed them how quick and aggressive they were," he said. "They cared on the defensive end."

South Side's defense was at its apex on Friday night, but D'Angelo said there is still room for improvement. "I think we can play better," he said. "We made nine mental mistakes, but Lynbrook only scored on six of the nine. I know we can play better on defense."

South Side plays again on Tuesday, which is Senior Night for guards Sean Weber, Taaj Cox and Kevin Waxon. They will take on Lawrence at home at 7:30 p.m.