Bayside High School Drops Forest Hills in 56-55 Squeaker

Both Bayside High School and Forest Hills High School, looked to come into Tuesday night's game to make a statement about their place in the division.

In the end, it was Bayside which maintained its place near the top of the pack, as they narrowly escaped with a victory against Forest Hills, 55-54.

Before the start of the game, players from the Cardozo boys' head coach and several members of the team arrived to catch a glimpse of their next two opponents, hoping that they catch helpful clues for their next two games, which include Bayside, and Forest Hills on consecutive nights.

Hero: Bayside sophomore guard Austin Williams hung 23 points on the Rangers, a total unmatched by anyone else in the game. His performance drove the Commodores to victory in what could end up being a crucial game as playoff seedings are being decided.

Turning Point: Bayside senior William Dobie, who had 16 points on the night and many of them in the second half, buried a long three-pointer to give his team a two point lead with just 60 seconds to play. The bucket turned out to be the nail in Forest Hills' coffin.

Quotable: "I knew we were going to be in a dog fight out here," Forest Hills head coach Ben Chobhaphand said. "They've been hitting shots all year to win at the end of games."

Forest Hills forward Jose Torres, was left demoralized by the loss.

"It was horrible because we had the lead the whole game,"   he said. "You can't be Bayside by one or two because they are always going to come back to haunt you." 

Bottom Line: As they've done several times this year, the Commodores took over in the last minute of the game to secure a victory, and a hold on second place in the division. Meanwhile, the Rangers, at just one game above .500 on the season, need to step up their game to stay afloat.

Key Stat: Chobhaphand said his team's struggles at the charity stripe were the biggest problem of the night.

"Free throws," Chobhaphand said. "Can't shoot 13 for 26, can't shoot 50 percent from the line in close games."

Who's Next? Forest Hills will take on Beach Channel High School at home on Thursday, Jan. 6 at 5 p.m.

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