Pirates Hang Tough Early, Fall to East Meadow

A home game against the East Meadow Jets Wednesday night could have been an opportunity for the Mepham Pirates to move into sole possession of fifth place in the Conference AA-III standings.

Both teams entered the game 1-4 in conference play, but the Pirates were coming off their most complete game of the season, a 64-53 win against Calhoun in which they received strong scoring efforts from Steve Luczaj and Doug Marshall. However, the hosts could not build on any momentum from their previous outing and suffered a 67-38 defeat at the hands of their AA-III rival.

After falling behind 3-0, Mepham's Chris Shavins got inside position and scored on a hook shot to open the scoring for the Pirates, but East Meadow's athletic and long front line presented a matchup problem early in the contest, holding the Pirates to a field goal during the first four minutes of play. However, the Jets could not build a lead behind their primarily jump shooting team and Luczaj sliced through the defense for a double-pump layup that cut the deficit to 5-4.

Mepham Pirates Coach Rich Wojcieski was aware of the Jets' shooting prowess and switched to a 3-2 zone to counter the Jets' perimeter oriented offense. Moments later, Luczaj found Marshall on the break and the forward was fouled while making a short jumper in the paint but failed to complete the three point play.

Despite a tenacious trapping defense by East Meadow, neither team was in foul trouble during the first quarter, as the players were forced into shots from distance against the rotating zones. With just over a minute remaining in the period, Marshall found room inside and muscled his way to the basket, cutting the Jets' lead to 11-10. At the end of one, Mepham trailed 14-12.

In the second, the road team began to penetrate inside for uncontested baskets but the Pirates stayed close thanks to Marshall's scoring ability. He repeatedly knifed through the defense and made short shots along the right baseline to keep his team within striking distance.

The Pirates' rotated well on defense and forced an overthrown pass and a steal on consecutive possessions. Following the second turnover, overly aggressive play by two Jets guards allowed Mike Woolfson an open look from the right wing and he buried a triple to tie the game at 19 with 3:52 remaining in the half, prompting East Meadow to take a timeout. 

After the strategic stoppage of play, the Jets responded with a pair of mid-range jumpers to pull ahead 23-19 and, up 25-20, offensive rebounds on consecutive possessions led to a pair of three point field goals as the Jets increased their lead to eleven. They ended the half up 33-20 as East Meadow's constant defensive pressure frustrated the home team. The 14-1 run effectively secured the victory for the blue and gold.

During the decisive third quarter, the Jets' quick perimeter ball movement frustrated the Pirates, as East Meadow rotated the ball using three-to-six passes per possession. Three pointers by Matt Gundrum – East Meadow's leading scorer - and Nick Slavin, combined with pressure on the basketball were keys to a 10-2 Jets run to open the second half. The Jets used a three guard offense and the quickness of their wing players allowed their motion offense to function well and play disciplined defense.

Mepham was able to stabilize defensively after the opening minutes of the quarter, but a combination of missed shots and turnovers prevented them from mounting a comeback. Late in the third, East Meadow broke the game open with an effective fast break, pushing its advantage to 47-29.

During the final period, the Jets did not relent and their successful three point shooting day continued with long range shots in a 29-point triumph. Mepham (2-9, 1-5) struggled from the field during the 4th and they were denied their second conference win of the season, while East Meadow (2-4, 4-7) broke a tie with their opponents in the Conference AA-III standings.

East Meadow: 14 19 14 20 – 67
Mepham: 12 8 9 9 - 38

East Meadow: Matt Gundrum, 17; Rob Franzese, 13; Nick Slevin, 10; Andrew Wilen, 9; Kyle Berger, 7; Matt Meyer, 4; Jeff Angelino, 4; Jared Lacker, 3

Mepham: Doug Marshall, 13; Matt Morrow, 7; Mike Woolfson, 4; Chris Shavins, 4; Steve Luczaj, 3; J.C. Brandmaier, 3; Jason D'Auria, 2; Jeff Swanson, 2