Calhoun Gets the Best of Kennedy in Boys Basketball District Showdown

Merriam-Webster defines “rival” as “one of two or more striving to reach or obtain something that only one can possess.”

With the Kennedy Cougars looking to hold onto first place in Conference AA-III and the Calhoun Colts trying to peak over the .500 mark, Tuesday night’s battle at Calhoun High School was nothing short of a rivalry, as the Colts narrowly held on to defeat the Cougars 40-38.

Chad Fuschillo led the way for Calhoun with 11 points, all of which came in the second half. John Wigand also added 11 for the Colts.

Joey Karo had a game-high 19 points for the Cougars, who were held to a season-low 38 points.

Kennedy center Brian O’Gorman finished with 12 points to go along with five blocked shots.

“They’re a great team. They were 5-1 coming in [to tonight],” Fuschillo said after the game. “We needed this win to get over .500 and we did it.”

Score: Calhoun 40, Kennedy 38

Records: Calhoun 4-3 (4-6); Kennedy 5-2 (7-3)

Heroes: Fuschillo was held scoreless and wasn’t much of a factor in the first half. However, with his team clinging to a four-point halftime lead he scored 11 of his team’s first 13 points in the second half and gave the Colts an eight-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.

“I was a little off in the first half, but my defense was on. In the second half, I just felt it and kept going,” he said. “We ended up with the win.”

“He’s really developed himself as an outside shooter, so we want to get him looks and I think we found him a couple of times on the weak side,” said Calhoun head coach Jay Kreutzberger of Fuschillo’s big night. “… Chad has improved so much as a shooter and it’s really helped us.”

On the other side of the ball was Kennedy’s Joey Karo, who, despite the loss, had another big night for the Cougars. The senior point guard scored all six of his team’s third-quarter points and added the first five points in the fourth quarter. He also shot 10-for-15 from the free throw line.

Turning Point: The Cougars led after the first quarter, but a strong start in the second quarter gave the Colts a ton of momentum. Calhoun began the second quarter on a 9-0 run and shot 6-for-8 from the charity stripe in the process.

“We played great,” Fuschillo said. “We played as a team. It’s a big rivalry. We really needed this win. We wanted this win just because it was a rivalry.”

Quotable: “I was talking to the kids about how rivalries really intensify when you take something away from the other team. Well they were tied for first place, and we’ve dropped them down a peg, so that’s only going to serve to make the second game of our matchup all that more intense and energetic,” Kreutzberger said.

Bottom Line: After a 5-0 start in Conference AA-III, the Cougars have now dropped two straight games, falling to third in the conference.

The team had two opportunities to tie the game with just seconds remaining on the clock in the fourth quarter, but both shots fell short. Karo and O’Gorman combined for 31 of the team’s 38 points.

The Calhoun defense provided pressure on the ball all night long and did not let up, holding Kennedy to just 20 points through the first three quarters.

“We preach defense. It’s a trademark of my program,” Kreutzberger said. “The thing that has been especially great about us is that we’re good at a lot of different defenses. I didn’t even show two or three other defenses that we have in this game. We stuck to man-to-man and a two-three zone, but we’re really good at those defenses and it’s because we play like a team.”

The two teams will meet again at Kennedy High School on the final day of the regular season, Feb. 14, at 7 p.m.

Key Stat:  Calhoun outscored Kennedy a combined 24-12 in the second and third quarters.

Who’s Next? Jan. 21, Elmont @ Kennedy, 7 p.m.; Jan. 21, Calhoun @ Mepham, 6:15 p.m.

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