Farmingdale Boys Basketball Loses to Uniondale, 58-40

The Farmingdale boys basketball team fell to the top-flight Uniondale Knights Tuesday night, 58-40, at in a Conference AA-1 matchup.

Uniondale (3-0, 6-2) showed the Farmingdale crowd exactly why they have captured five of the last seven Conference AA-1 titles, jumping out to a quick double-digit lead on the Dalers.

The Dalers (0-2, 3-4) struggled from the floor in the first quarter, shooting just 1-for-13 and not recording a point until just 24 seconds remaining in the quarter.

"We were missing open layups, open jump shots," said sophomore guard Dalique Mingo. "They came out way more aggressive than us."

The Dalers were able to cut the margin early in the second half, however. Sophomore Kevin Petit-Frere scored five consecutive points, putting the Dalers' deficit into single digits for the first time since midway through the first quarter.

Unfortunately for the Dalers, that would be the closest they would come to evening the score.

Following Petit-Frere's momentum-swinging shots, the Knights jumped back into the driver's seat. Uniondale went on an 18-8 run to finish out the quarter and had no intention of letting up.

Heroes: Uniondale's Shaq Mosley and Roderick Epps led the way for the Knights. Mosley finished with 19 points, shooting 63 percent from the floor with four rebounds and four assists. Epps also had a dominant performance for the Knights, taking down 12 boards and pitching in 16 points.

Turning Point: Following a jump-shot by Petit-Frere early in the third quarter, with the Dalers cutting the Knights' lead to eight, Uniondale head coach Tom Diana called a prompt timeout.

Following the timeout, the settled Knights went on an 18-8 run to thwart any momentum the Dalers had swinging in their direction.

Quotable: "We played an excellent Uniondale team," said Farmingdale head coach Jim Pastier. "That's why they've won how many county championships in the last 15 years. They're tough, physical, strong and composed."

Bottom Line: Farmingdale's shooting was the difference in the game. The Dalers held Uniondale's explosive offense to only 22 points through the first half, but their offense didn't click until the latter parts of the contest. The Dalers shot only 4-for-22 from the floor in the first half.

Key Stat: Petit-Frere led the Dalers in scoring. He scored 18 points, shooting 4-of-10 from the floor and added two 3-pointers. He now leads Farmingdale in scoring, with 103 points and 3-pointers with 13.

Who's Next: Farmingdale @ Freeport (2-0, 6-0) on Friday, Jan. 7 at 6 p.m..