Sports
Rams Conquer Spartans in Season Opener for Boys Basketball
After a slow start, West Hempstead boys varsity basketball rally to defeat Valley Stream North.
The Rams boys varsity basketball team came out strong in their first game of the season on Dec. 3, beating the Spartans 65-29 in a non-league matchup. West Hempstead was off to a slow start in the first quarter, trailing Valley Stream North by six points. They missed scoring opportunities that led to Spartan run-outs on the other end.
To say they picked up the pace might be a bit of an understatement. After pulling ahead of the Spartans 19-17 on a Greg Cecere layup, the Rams never looked back.
They built up a 28-19 lead in the second quarter. On a last-second play before halftime, Tom Valerio hit a three pointer to cap the first half performance with a 31-21 lead.
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"We got into a good shooting groove in the second quarter," said Head Coach Ed Cosgrove. "All of our shooting drills in practice really paid off for us."
The second half was no different as the Rams continued to shoot the ball well. The real story, however, was their defensive effort as they held the Spartans to only eight points in the second half.
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"We played a great defensive game in the second half," said Cosgrove. "To be honest, I didn't expect us to execute as well defensively in the first game."
Valerio had 15 points in the winning effort. Team Captains Darnell Davy and Greg Cecere had 14 and 12 points respectively. Forward Juan Carlos Brito collected 10 rebounds and Brandon Zapelli had seven assists.
The Rams next game is at Plainview-JFK on Tuesday at 4:30pm.
