Rams Leave Holiday Tourney With Horns Held High

The Rams ended on a high note to wrap up their participation in the at Malverne High School Thursday night with a 56-48 win over the Spartans of John Adams High.

The Rams had to battle for the edge in the first quarter,  which they won, mostly thanks to the all-around exemplary performance of sophomore guard Tyree Glascoe (3), who had nine points, one of which a three-pointer, multiple assists, steals, rebounds, and a blocked shot. They maintained control for the rest of the game, and continued to accrue a lead, as much as 10 by the middle of the third quarter. However, Adams threatened a late come from behind rally driven by the explosive play of their point guard Joshua Nazario (12), who ended up being the game's leader in scoring with 19 points. This cut their trail to six points and left the score at 43-37 to begin the final quarter.

Twice, the Spartans came within a lay up, and looked as though they were going to overrun the Rams. But the Rams were able to hold on with some heroics, namely a three-pointer from senior guard Greg Cecere (20) with less than two minutes left that put them up by five, and the sure free throw shooting that followed.

Score: West Hempstead 56, John Adams 48

Heroes: There were three. Glascoe's outstanding play in the first half was the most influential in compiling to the 32-24 lead. He ended the night leading the Rams with 18 points, in addition to submitting two three-pointers, four assists, and four steals. Cecere only scored two points in the first three quarters, but was responsible for most of the offense in the fourth quarter, scoring eight, with a three-pointer and 5/6 free throws made to end with ten. He was stalwart at the foul line, making 7/8 overall. Senior guard Tom Valerio (4) was singled out by Coach Ed Cosrove for sinking three, three-pointers, on one of which he also drew a foul, which he made, earning 10 points on the night.

Turning Point: A hinge could be attributed to either the point at which West Hempstead gained control or John Adams began to rally, but since the Rams were the winners, and were able to slam the door on Adams in the end, it was really two successive plays by Glascoe that defined the game. He hit his first three and then broke up a pass near half court on the ensuing press to prevent the Spartans from moving up court for any healthy chance at tying it up.

Coach's Corner: "We were much more under control than last night," Coach Cosgrove said after the game, referring to the previous loss to Malverne. Later on, he added, "[Adams] was shooting a pretty high percentage, but a lot of it was lay ups. We talked about just keeping them outside, forcing them to run offense and their percentage would go way down."

Bottom Line: The Rams controlled the pace of the game, but they also moved the ball around a lot on offense that opened up opportunities for good shots, a high percentage of baskets, and four players with double digit scoring figures (Glascoe-18; Cecere-10; Valerio-10; and senior guard Darnell Davy (10)-10)

Box Score:

Who's Next?: The Rams, who are 1-1 in the conference, head to North Shore, who are 0-1, on Tuesday, Jan. 4, where they hope to improve to 2-1.