BY: Joseph Scotchie
Defense is the key to any team sport. Basketball is no different. And basketball remains the Roslyn game.
As the regular season moves into its final weeks, both the Roslyn High School boys’ and girls’ squads are playing winning ball.
The boys’ squad, after a Jan. 12 triumph over New Hyde Park, stands at 5-1 in conference play and 8-2 overall. In that win, Roslyn, playing at home, came out smoking. Mason Goodstadt drilled a three-pointer to start the game. Employing a full court press, the Bulldogs stole the ball from New Hyde Park with Sam Marner nailing another three pointer to give Roslyn a 6-0 lead. New Hyde Park came back to tie the score, but a pattern was set. Roslyn would press basket-to-basket the entire game. After pulling out to a 31-12 first quarter lead, New Hyde Park outscored Roslyn in the second quarter, 14-11. At halftime, Coach Gregory Tull made adjustments, including a more aggressive defense and certain match ups for the zone defense New Hyde Park had constructed. Led by Jake Kenyon, Sam Marner, Mason Goodstadt, and Davon White-Joseph on offense, the Bulldogs pulled away to a 62-39 lead at the end of the third quarter, setting up the runaway victory.
The Bulldog’s attack was well-balanced. Jake Kenyon had 17 points, four assists and two steals to lead Roslyn. Sam Marner had 15 points, 11 rebounds, four steals and two blocks. Mason Goodstadt had 14 points, six assists and five steals. Coming off the bench, White-Joseph added 10 points.
Roslyn players knocked down three pointers all night. Goodstadt nailed four such scores from beyond the arc, while Kenyon, Marner, and White-Joseph had one each. The fifth starter Zach Kuppersmith added seven points.
Playing a relentless full court press the entire game meant that there would be plenty of substituting throughout the game. The Roslyn bench came through. White-Joseph scored in double figures. Harris Mihalatos scored five points, while Danny Levine, Benjy Rubin, and Noah Stichweh had four each, with Eithan Ahren chipping in with a field goal.
Roslyn played aggressive defense, while New Hyde Park players often tried dribbling through the full court press, resulting in numerous turnovers and with it, plenty of easy scoring opportunities for the home team. As the game wore down, both White-Joseph and Mihalatos made nifty moves on the beleaguered New Hyde Park defense for impressive buckets.
The win was Roslyn’s fifth straight triumph. Previous victims included Carey, Westbury, Calhoun, and Garden City. The Bulldogs have lost only to Holy Trinity and Elmont. Upcoming home games include Tuesday, Jan. 30 vs. Calhoun and Wednesday, Feb. 7 against Sewanhaka. Both games start at 7 p.m.
On Friday, Feb. 9 and Saturday, the 10th, the Bulldogs close out the regular season with away games against New Hyde Park. The Friday game begins at 5 p.m. and the Saturday tip-off is at 12 noon.
The Lady Bulldogs are also posting a winning record. As of the third week of January, Roslyn was 7-4 overall with a 4-2 mark in conference play. They lost their own game against New Hyde Park. Before that, Roslyn reeled off four straight wins, defeating Great Neck North, Elmont, Carey, and Calhoun. The Lady Bulldogs will play home games on Jan. 27 (Carey), Feb. 2 (Garden City), and Feb. 5 (Hicksville). After an away game on Feb. 7 against Sewanhaka, Roslyn will close the season with their own Feb. 9 and 10 games against New Hyde Park.
The Carey game and the Feb. 10 New Hyde Park games are at 12 noon, while the other three contests will have a 5 p.m. tip off time.
