Syosset Boys Basketball Gets Back on Track With Win Over Port Washington

It was a bounce back effort worthy of praise. The Syosset Braves earned their second win of the year Thursday night, defeating Port Washington 64-41 at Paul D. Schreiber High School.

Senior guard Jacob Luft led the Braves with 14 points in front of a packed house that was pumped up for the Port Washington home opener. The Braves win came two days after a

"Yesterday, we didn't have a great practice," said Braves coach Bobby Kopp. "I think they were a little demoralized after coming back and fighting and losing against Hicksville. Today, their energy was great. To beat a very good Port team is a sign of the character of these guys."

After a tight first half, Syosset broke the game open in the third quarter. The Braves outscored Port Washington 16 to 12, increasing an eight-point half time lead into a twelve-point lead entering the fourth. The scoring difference wasn't as much the story of the third quarter as the Braves all-around dominance of the Vikings was.  

"We defended well, rebounded well, and ran our offensive sets very well," Kopp said of the third quarter. "We got the ball inside, which is something we talk about every day in practice and it really paid off for us."

Syosset dominated the boards on both ends in the second half, limiting the Vikings second chance opportunities while repeatedly getting up multiple shots of their own.

"That's just a lot of energy," Kopp said. "Playing with energy and playing with passion is what it's all about. That was the difference."

The Braves allowed only three points in the fourth quarter, their best single quarter defensive effort this season. 

Hero: Luft – Not only did Luft lead the team in points (14), but he made some clutch shots. He opened the game with a 3-pointer, setting the tone early for a Syosset team that shot well from behind the arc. Later in the first half, the senior knocked down another three, giving Syosset a 23-19 lead.

Turning Point: Luft's three pointer midway through the third quarter put Port Washington away for good. The Vikings had just cut the Braves lead to nine when Luft lofted a high jumper and put the Braves up by double digits again. The Syosset lead remained at double digits for the rest of the night.

Quotable: "Everyone was running their sets," Kopp said about scoring 14 more points than they did on Tuesday night. "The spacing was good. Guys understand where they can score and where they can't. It just looked so much better."

Bottom Line: Syosset got back to basics and it showed. Although the first half was close, the dominance in the second was hard to miss. It was the kind of win the Braves needed after Tuesday night. The tight knit group knew what they had to do and executed it brilliantly. It was a perfect mix of rebounding and spot-on outside shooting.

Key Stat: Both Mike Friedman and Mohammed Kassamali chipped in with nine points each.

Who's Next: Saturday vs. Roosevelt @ Long Beach High School, 3:30 pm