East Meadow Boys Eliminated From The Playoffs

The East Meadow boys basketball team lost in the quarterfinals of the Class AA playoffs to visiting Great Neck South, 72-51.

The fourth-seeded Jets couldn’t regroup from a slow start against the fifth-seeded Rebels for a shot to advance to the semifinals at SUNY Old Westbury.

Nick Slevin led East Meadow with 13 points in his last high school game of his career along with six other senior teammates. Ben Kestenbaum led Great Neck South with a game-high 16 points in the win.

The Rebels were not intimidated in the least bit by the home atmosphere of the East Meadow gymnasium. Stephen Ambrosio and Adam Warner combined for 15 points in the first quarter to help the Rebels jump out to a 23-8 lead over the Jets after eight minutes.

As East Meadow would do more than once in the game, they clawed back to within single digits in the second, starting the quarter on a quick 8-2 run. However, Great Neck South came right back to push their advantage to 36-23 going in halftime.

In the opening moments of the second half, senior Rob Franzese executed a three-point play for East Meadow to start an 11-5 run, closing the gap to just seven points at 41-34. Solid shooting by Kestenbaum helped Great Neck South hold onto a comfortable cushion as his team led 51-41 after three quarters.

With a comeback still within reach, the Jets tried to use their raucous student section to do just that. However, the Rebels continued to push ahead as they began the quarter on a critical 13-2 run. When all was said and done, Great Neck South pulled away to take away a 21-point win to move on to the semifinals.

Heroes: Kestenbaum knocked down four three-pointers to score his game-high 16 points.

Nick Slevin led the way for the Jets with 13 points and four three-pointers of his own. He was one of four seniors to reach double digits in the loss, including Franzese, Jeff Angelino and Kyle Berger.

“We always play hard every game, but today they came out and hit their shots,” Franzese said. “All seven seniors and everyone else are a tremendous group of guys who worked hard all year long.”

Turning Point: With a first half dominated by Great Neck South, East Meadow did not hold back. The big run by the Rebels in the fourth quarter ultimately put all comeback hopes to rest for the Jets.

Quotable: “We didn’t play as well as we usually did. We had a little run in the third quarter but it wasn’t enough,” East Meadow head coach Barry Dickson said. “The seniors were unbelievable, providing leadership all season long. It was a great year for these great kids.”

Bottom Line: East Meadow battled through a tough Conference II-AA from the beginning of their season, highlighted by four consecutive wins to close the regular season before the playoff loss to Great Neck South. The Jets will graduate seven members of their 2010-11 squad.

Key Stat: East Meadow chipped away in the second and third quarters against Great Neck South, but it was the other two quarters that pushed the game out of reach. The Jets were outscored 44-18 in the first and fourth quarters by the Rebels.

Team………………….......1…..2…..3…..4   -   F

#5 Great Neck South…23…13…15…21….72

#4 East Meadow………..8….15…18…10….51

GNS: Kestenbaum 16, Ambrosio 15, A.Warner 15, Brown 8, Belmont 6, Garfinkel 4, Sofi 4, Lee 2, D.Warner 2. Total: 72. EM: Slevin 13, Angelino 11, Berger 10, Franzese 10, Zafran 3, Bocchetti 2, Campay 2. Total: 51. Three-Pointers: GNS: Kestenbaum 4, A.Warner 1; EM: Slevin 4, Berger 2.