Mepham Falls to Syosset after Leading into the Fourth

The second-place Syosset Braves entered their Conference AA-III home matchup against the struggling Mepham Pirates with a three-game win streak and championship aspirations. Although the Braves prevailed, 70-56, the Pirates – prohibitive underdogs - played one of their best games of the season and reminded high school basketball followers of an oft-used adage – "that's why they play the games."

Syosset got off to a fast start and a three pointer by guard Spencer Hazan –the team's leading scorer at 18.4 points per game - made it 5-0, but Pirates guard Mike Woolfson responded with a three and guard Steve Luczaj's knifing penetration and basket made it 6-5. However, Hazan continued his aggressive shooting and knocked down another three to make it 11-5 before Pirates forward Chris Shavins countered with a mid-range fadeaway along the baseline to narrow the gap to four.

"Mepham was in a 2-1-2 zone so we wanted to utilize the perimeter," Hazan said.

Syosset ran its offense efficiently, but Mepham countered by working the ball inside for higher percentage shots. Late in the quarter, forward Matt Marrow muscled his way to the hoop for a field goal and Luczaj knocked down two free throws, but the visitors trailed 20-13 after one.

Marrow opened the second by cutting to the basket for a score and then Luczaj picked up a loose ball near the Syosset basket and laid it in to cut the lead to three. Braves guard Matt Quinn was fouled while scoring and finished the three point opportunity at the line, and a Braves bucket on the next possession made it 25-17. Due in large part to Quinn's aggressiveness, Syosset drew more twice as many first half fouls as did Mepham.

The Pirates looked to Marrow on the low post for scoring and he delivered a score, and a Woolfson three and Morrow lay in brought Mepham within four at 30-26. The Pirates' run continued with a Luczaj  three-pointer to cut the lead to one – the 8-0 run was the Pirates' best offensive display of the contest. Syosset forward Mohammad Kassamali came off the bench to score the final three points of the quarter, giving the Braves a 33-29 advantage at the half.

"It was good to let them know we were still there," Quinn said. "It was a positive momentum-changer."

Woolfson's hot shooting continued in the third, as his triple from straight away knotted the game at 35; it was the first time the Pirates were even since the opening possession.

Although they fell behind by two after the next possession, Luczaj drove inside for a layup, was fouled, and made the free throw to give his team a 38-37 lead.
Shavins scored on the next trip, giving Mepham an improbable three point edge against the Braves.

The incredible Pirates run continued with an acrobatic layup by Luczaj – Mepham's high scorer on the day with 16 points - prompting Syosset to use a timeout with 4:58 remaining in the period.

"Steve is a leader and rarely comes off the court," Wojcieski said. "He made nice moves up top and created for others underneath."

Braves guard Matt Cohen ended the 7-0 run with a pull-up jumper, a tip-in by forward Erik Schwarz made it a one-point game, and Cohen was contacted on a dribble drive and tied the game by hitting the second free throw.

In need of an answering salvo, Woolfson came through again. The guard swished a long-range three to put his team ahead, 45-42.

"Mike has been shooting well all week, Wojcieski said."When he's hot I let him shoot."

"We were frustrated," Hazan said. "They were making big shots."

With Woolfson in foul trouble after a pair of questionable calls during the third, the Braves surged ahead with a 4-0 spurt; Syosset's aggressiveness put the Pirates in the penalty with two minutes remaining in the quarter. Undaunted, Mepham's tenacious defense forced a pair of traveling violations, and Shavins put back a miss for a 47-46 lead.

"Chris is a tough kid mentally and physically," Mepham coach Rich Wojcieski. "He can really rebound and has moves down low."

Up by three, Shavins was whistled for his fourth foul, putting another of the Pirates' top threats on the bench. Quinn drove down the lane for a last-second score, but the visitors led 49-48 to the chagrin of the home crowd.

Schwarz opened the fourth with a nifty reverse layup to give the Braves a one point edge and excellent ball movement gave Hazan an open three, which he made, increasing the host's lead to 55-49.

"Schwarz played very well," Quinn said. "He had key boards down the stretch."

After a stoppage, Luczaj got open on a well-designed inbounds play and he made both free throws as Mepham inched closer. However, Hazan – who registered a game-high 24 points - regained his hot hand from the opening minutes and hit another triple to give Syosset a seven point lead.

"Spencer is a complete player and our main scorer," Syosset coach Bobby Kopp said. "He can beat you off the dribble, hit three's, and he's a good post-up guard."

Shavins, who was an emotional leader all day, scored inside to bring the Pirates within two possessions, but Quinn, Schwarz, and Hazan answered with four close range shots to give Syosset its largest lead at 66-53 with 1:50 remaining.

"We did a better job of getting the ball inside during the fourth," Hazan said.

Mepham went cold from the field in the fourth as the Braves pulled away from the valiant Pirates. Syosset's 70-56 victory enabled them to remain near the top of the conference standings, while the Pirates' trying season continued.

"It started with team defense," Quinn said. "As a result, we were able to get easy buckets."

"We pressed the ball more and got better help underneath," Kopp said. "We weren't defending well [during the second and third quarters]. We pressured Woolfson to not allow open threes and got accustomed to what their tendencies were. We just needed to rebound and get out and run."

Despite a disappointing record, the Pirates nearly registered a memorable victory, and their performance provided a glimpse of the talent on the roster.

"The guys got some confidence and believed they could win," Wojcieski said. "We just ran out of steam. We lost a little focus of our strengths in the fourth."  

The Pirates (1-8, 2-12) next play at home against playoff-contending Bellmore JFK on Feb. 2. On the same day, the Braves (8-2, 12-3) – who need to win their final two games in order to win the conference – travel to first-place Plainview JFK for a pivotal contest.

Mepham: 13 16 20 7 – 56
Syosset: 20 13 15 22 – 70

Mepham: Steve Luczaj, 16; Mike Woolfson, 15; Matt Marrow, 13; Chris Shavins, 8; Elkasser, 2; Kyle Wechsler, 2
Syosset: Spencer Hazan, 24; Matt Quinn, 17; Erik Schwarz, 10; Peter Kozey, 5; Matt Cohen, 5; Mohammad Kassamili, 3; Chris Park 2; Jake Fried, 2; Dan Cappetta, 2