Cougars Nab Big Win Against Crosstown Rivals

The 7-2 Bellmore JFK boys basketball team traveled crosstown to face the 1-8 Mepham Pirates at Mepham early Tuesday evening. Like all good matchups both teams played hard and kept it competitive. Although in this contest, the Cougars were too much for the Pirates to tame as Kennedy defeated Mepham, 60-25.

The Cougars, coached by Rory Block, jumped out to a considerably quick lead, playing well in transition and bearing down on defense, they lead 32-15 by the half.

"The key was the defense," said Coach Block. "Any time you can hold a team to 25 points, it's huge."

The entire team played well all game long. Standing out for the Cougars was junior Adrian Rose.

"Adrian hit a couple of good shots and did a real good job on the board," said Block.

Adrian finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Another player standing out, no pun intended, was Kennedy center Brian O'Gorman. Standing a head above every other player on the court, he came off the bench and closed the door late in the game solidifying the victory for Kennedy.

"Brian had a double, double, 10 rebounds and more than 10 points," Block said. "He was solid." O'Gorman finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

Mepham, who has struggled on the year, played tough, but the buckets just didn't fall.  A bright spot for the Pirates was the effort of Pirates junior Chris Shevins

"Chris is a leader on and off. He always gives 100 percent and leaves everything out there," said Mepham Coach Richard Wojcieski.

At times it seemed like the younger Pirate squad was rushing and forcing the play, something that usually happens in games with such a lopsided score. Mepham has a lot of young players that, despite their record, continues to make improvements game by game.

"We have victories within the games and stay positive for things in the future," said Wojcieski.

The playoff picture for Mepham has long since past, but Kennedy stands at third with two games remaining on the regular season. The two teams in their way are, 8-2 Syosset and 8-1 Plainview JFK.  The Cougars control their destiny. Winning out will solidify their trip to the playoffs.

The Cougars will look to claw their way into the playoffs at home as they face one of the teams in their path, Plainview JFK, at 7 p.m. on Friday.  Mepham travels to Calhoun tomorrow for a 6:30 p.m. tip.