Dalers Boys Basketball Beats Massapequa, 50-47

On a day that saw higher-than-normal security on the campus, the Dalers fought off a furious fourth quarter rally to win against nearby rival Massapequa, 50-47, Thursday in a Nassau Conference AA-1 boys basketball game.

Massapequa (9-3 overall, 5-3 conference) took an early 11-2 lead late in the 1st quarter on a Chris Husmann basket. Farmingdale (6-6, 3-4) fought back on a 9-0 run of their own on a Kevin Petit-Ferar bucket, at the 3:25 mark of the 1st half.  The game came to a halt late in the 2nd quarter, when Massapequa’ s Matt Young took a tough fall on the Farmingdale baseline. Young would leave the game, and would not return for the 2nd half.

The third quarter turned out to be all Dalers, as they would rush out to a 40-27 lead, and finish the quarter ahead 40-28.

However, the Chiefs fought back, going hard on offense, and making an 8-0 run in the fourth, with Ryan Van Buren scoring with just over 5 minutes left in the game, bringing the Chiefs to within 8 points, 42-34.

Massapequa would come within 2 points, 42-40, with 3:34 left on a basket by David James, but that was as close as the Chiefs would get. On the next possession, Farmingdale’s big man Matt DiCarlo Reynolds would score and hit a free-throw, extending the lead to 45-40.

Later, Massapequa could have tied the game, after a Farmingdale gift turnover under their basket with just over 5 seconds left, but after a time out, the Chiefs weren’t able to hit a necessary three-pointer.

Heroes:  Kevin Petit for his floor leadership and timely baskets.

Turning Point: In a game filled with hills and valleys for both teams, you could say Matt Dicarlo’s bucket and free throw putting the Dalers ahead 45-40 with a little over 3 minutes left decided the outcome on this one.

Quotables: Farmingdale coach Jim Pastier was proud of the win. “Beautiful…playing in the conference is a battle, day-in, day-out.  We were aided by their injuries [one being to Matt Young]. That definitely helped us out,” he said. 

Did he feel comfortable with the third quarter 14 point lead? “No…never. We knew that they were going to fight back.  We somehow got that 3rd quarter lead, and somehow managed to hold on.”

He continued, “Also, we’re young. We’re starting three sophomores, and two freshmen. That’s unheard of. You can look at any other roster in the county, and no one does it quite like that. We’re kinda doing it with smoke and mirrors.”

Bottom Line: Farmingdale showed it can play with the best in Conference AA-1. The win will surely give them confidence heading into the final stretch of regular season games.

Key Stat: Kevin Petit-Ferar had four three-pointers. One more than the rest of the players on the floor for both teams (three).

Who’s Next? Massapequa plays Uniondale at home, Jan 28 at 7 p.m. Farmingdale meets Uniondale on Feb. 1 at 4:30 p.m.  

Box Score: