Wantagh Boys Basketball Gets First Win of Season over Kennedy

The boys basketball team won its first game of the 2010/11 season Wednesday night with a 49-42 home non-league victory over Bellmore-Kennedy.

Wantagh, which lost its opener at Freeport 62-46 on Dec. 3, started off in front with senior Mike Tomeo scoring eight first-quarter points. Kennedy did not get on the board until midway through that quarter on a layup by senior Will Colon. In the second quarter Kennedy came out with an 11-2 run sparked by the length of senior Brian O'Gorman, who finished with 15 points and 13 rebounds.  

Kennedy held onto their lead throughout the third quarter, but Wantagh senior John Reicherter and Tomeo quickly dwindled that lead down to a tie game at 41-41. Kennedy went cold in the final minutes and put Wantagh on the free throw line at the most crucial time. The Warriors sunk all eight free throw attempts in the final minute to cruise to their first victory of the young season.  

Heroes: For the Warriors, Tomeo started off quick with the eight early points and Reicherter went 4-for-4 on free throws at the end of the fourth to help the team to the win. Each finished with 15 points.  

Kennedy was first able to build their big lead with the help of 6' 10" senior Brian O'Gorman, who poured in 13 points of his 15 points in the second quarter. Senior Joey Karo added 15 points as well.  

Turning Point: The game wasn't decided until the final minute, where Reicherter, sophomore Gerard Roche and senior Sean DeVito combined to put the game out of reach from the line. The last three minutes featured four lead changes and a tie until Wantagh pulled away.  

Quotable: "We wanted to keep O'Gorman away from the basket, so in the fourth if we kept working the ball up top and keep him away, and we were able to get to the basket," Wantagh head coach Keith Hunter said. "We forced turnovers and our defense was the key for that whole last quarter."  

"They hit their free throws and also a big key in the fourth quarter is that we let too many wide open threes," said Kennedy head coach Rory Block. "We didn't make them earn their baskets. That's the difference in the ball game."  

Bottom Line: Wantagh scored only five more points in the first three quarters (27) compared to the fourth quarter (22), ultimately the big difference for the win. Their roster depth came into play down the stretch, regularly rotating in players with eight putting points on the board, compared to Kennedy's four scorers.  

Key Stat: The Warriors, dealing with the size of O'Gorman inside for much of the game, focused on hitting their open three-pointers. They knocked down seven from long range for the game compared to the Cougars' lone three from Karo.  

Who's Next: Wantagh is next in action on Dec. 17 at Westbury starting at 4:30 p.m.

Kennedy

Wantagh