Cyclones High Octane Offense Leads to 70-45 Win Over Plainedge

Cyclones head coach Gerry D'Angelo reiterated to his team after Friday's win  the importance of focus, and playing with energy and pride — something he felt his squad lacked after its first home game of the season. The Cyclones apparently took their coach's words to heart, as they came out on fire on Monday night, en route to a 70-45 blowout win over Plainedge at South Side.

Forward Robert Akeson led the Cyclones with his best game of the season, narrowly missing a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds. Forward Ryan Spadaford finished with nine points and nine rebounds, and senior guard Kevin Waxon dropped 11 points and had two steals.

D'Angelo made some unique changes to the starting lineup — sitting sharpshooter Kevin Coyle and replacing him with senior forward Robert Piccione — a move that proved successful as the Cyclones got off to a fast start. South Side opened the first quarter on an 18-4 run, with all five starters scoring in the spurt, and never looked back.

"There were a couple things I wasn't happy with, like the effort," D'Angelo said about the team's win over Bethpage and why he changed the starting lineup. "Our rotations were stagnant. So I thought the change might help with our tempo and get us off to a better start."

D'Angelo's rotation move was spot on. By the end of the first quarter, South Side had amassed a 23-11 lead and grabbed 14 rebounds in the game's first eight minutes. The Cyclones finished with 43 overall rebounds to Plainedge's 23.

"We had the ability to catch the ball at full speed, square up and shoot it," he said.

In the second quarter, South Side continued to dominate every facet of the game. Guard Taaj Cox and Piccione both took charges — something D'Angelo stressed his team needed to do more — and the offense ran like a well-oiled machine. South Side scored off back door screens and cuts, and played an efficient first half, only committing four turnovers. The Cyclones ended the half up 44-20.

"We worked on the fundamentals," D'Angelo explained. "We were able to push the ball up first before they could get back on defense."

D'Angelo added that after Friday's win, his squad needed to play with more energy, and more importantly, with South Side pride. "I told them, there's no name on the back of the jersey," he said. "It only says South Side on the front. I emphasized that. I reminded them that we still have a lot of tradition here at South Side."

By the end of the third quarter, South Side's lead ballooned to 24, and D'Angelo emptied his bench for the game's remaining eight minutes.

The Cyclones host its tourney on Dec. 28 and play at 7 p.m. at the high school.