Victory! Port Washington Boys Basketball Prevails Over Plainview

"V" is for Vikings, and finally it can be said that it also stands for "victory."

The boys basketball team got off to a fast start, and hit clutch shots throughout the night to hold off Plainview JFK, as they came away with the 58-51 win in Conference AA-II action on Tuesday at Plainview JFK High School.  It was the Vikings' first win of the year, after dropping their first ten.

The Viking effort had been improving in recent weeks, though they had no wins to show for it.  They showed early on that wouldn't be the case tonight, and they showed they have talent too.

Co-captain K.C. Ozcayir showed off his athleticism driving in the lane, and Michael Murphy was hot on the perimeter, as the Vikings streaked to a 10-1 lead to start the game.  Murphy's three gave his team a 24-10 advantage after only one quarter of play.

"We were able to put up some points in that first quarter," Vikings coach Sean Dooley said. "To get 24 was a nice cushion to work with." 

Josh Feshbach provided the highlight of the night, and a sign that things were going to be different for the Vikings, at the end of the first half.  The junior hit a half-court three at the buzzer to give his club a 36-26 lead at the break, stunning the Hawks, and energizing those that made the trip from Port Washington.

The Plainview defense seemed to clamp down as the second half wore on, and it looked as if another one might slip away for the Vikings.  The Hawks' Jordan Sekler hit a three, and Greg Rankel converted both of his free throws, and the Port Washington lead was only 54-51 with a minute remaining.

It briefly appeared that Murphy had the ball stolen from him at mid-court, but instead drew a controversial foul, as Plainview insisted they had grabbed ball, not player.  The call stood, and Murphy hit both foul shots, as the Vikings held on for win number one in 2011.

"When you're not used to winning, you've got to learn how to play in the last minute with the lead," Dooley said.  "We haven't had that opportunity, so it is building on that experience too."

Ozcayir led the Vikings with 18 points, Murphy had 15, and Feshbach chipped in with 11.

Records: Port Washington (1-10), Plainview JFK (2-8)

Hero: Michael Murphy.  The Port Washington senior scored 15, hit three from beyond the arc and converted two clutch foul shots in the final minute to help the Vikings to their first win of the year.

Turning Point: With 54 seconds remaining, Plainview appeared to steal the ball from Murphy, but were called for the foul.  That ended the Hawks' fourth quarter momentum as the Vikings hit a few free throws to put things away.

Quote: "It's a good feeling, we needed one just for ourselves confidence-wise to know we can win a game," Vikings coach Sean Dooley said of his team's first win.  "We came out on fire in the first quarter which really helped us, we held on, it's a nice feeling."

Bottom Line: Incredibly, the playoffs are still a possibility for Port Washington, and they showed they're capable of scoring from inside and out, as well as making clutch free throws.  A few more efforts like this, and the 0-10 start will quickly be forgotten.

Key Stat: 24, the number of first quarter points tallied by the Vikings, twice as much as they managed in any quarter the rest of the way, but the damage was done as Plainview never led, and Port Washington was finally on their way to victory.

Who's Next: Friday 1/21 vs. Baldwin, 6:15 p.m.

Box Score: 

Port Washington: Feshbach 10-1-11, Murphy 13-2-15, Ozcayir 16-2-18, Tasnady 2-0-2, Cohen 8-2-10, Froccaro 2-0-2.  Three pointers: Feshbach 2, Murphy 3

Plainview JFK: Bernstein 0-1-1, Strack 4-0-4, Rankel 6-6-12, Farber 2-0-2, Rothman 5-1-6, Sekler 6-0-6, Meiselas 4-2-6, Massa 8-0-8, Ross 6-0-6.  Three pointers: Rothman, Sekler 2, Massa 2