Massapequa Boys Basketball Tops Farmingdale in League Opener

The  boys basketball team opened its tough league schedule at home with a with a 48-38 win over  on Friday afternoon.   

With both sides playing a tight defensive game, points were tough to come by at times for the Chiefs (5-0) and the Dalers (2-2). Junior Chris Husmann led Massapequa with 11 points along with 11 rebounds and sophomore Kevin Petit-Frere was the high scorer for Farmingdale with 16 points.  

The defensive intensity was apparent from the start with both teams tied at 2-2 halfway through the first quarter. A gritty senior in Lee Henderson provided an unexpected spark for the Chiefs with two big three-pointers in the second quarter to lead a 14-5 run. Massapequa led Farmingdale by double-digits at halftime, 24-13.  

Despite an early three-pointer from Petit-Frere in the opening possession of the third quarter, a handful of turnovers hindered the Dalers and aided the Chiefs to go another run to balloon their lead to 16 points at 32-16.  

At the start of the fourth quarter, Farmingdale used a 7-2 run to cut the gap to single-digits for the first time since early in the second. Things began to get heated on the court when Farmingdale sophomore Dalique Mingo picked up a critical technical foul. Senior Matt Smocovich missed both free throws as a result but scored a quick basket on the very next possession. The Dalers would eventually cut the lead to just seven points, but would get no closer as the Chiefs held on to remain undefeated.  

Heroes: Henderson, a bench player, scored a season-high 10 points, including seven in the second quarter to jumpstart the Massapequa offense.  

Turning Point: Despite the Dalers falling behind by 16 in the third quarter, they fought back in the fourth to trail by seven. With tensions rising, Mingo picked up his technical prior to cutting the lead and the Dalers seemed out of sync from that point on.   The Chiefs were then able to break the full-court press late to pick up easy baskets and help dwindle the clock down to triple-zeroes.  

Quotable: "It was a great environment and we knew it was going to be a heated contest from start to finish," Massapequa coach Marty Voigt said. "They pressed and trapped, we didn't handle it great to give credit to them, but we were able to withstand their surge."  

"We need to be composed when coming into a road environment like this," said Farmingdale head coach Jim Pastier. "Massapequa showed their age as well as being tough and physical out there. They did a great job bodying people and playing tough basketball."  

Bottom Line: Farmingdale eliminated Massapequa from the playoffs last season, but according to Voigt, that fact did not serve as a main source of motivation for his guys to pull out the win. Compared to the Chiefs' win over Plainview JFK on Monday where they forced 22 turnovers, they forced 21 against the Dalers on Friday.  

Key Stat: It is apparent that Massapequa relies on their ability to knock down outside shots with that fact that they lack a true inside presence. The Chiefs poured in a season-high seven three-pointers against Farmingdale.  

Who's Next: Massapequa @ Uniondale, Dec. 21, 4:30 p.m.; Uniondale @ Farmingdale, Jan. 4, 5:00 p.m.  

Teams………………...1…..2…..3…..4 – F

Farmingdale……….5…...8….10…15 – 38

Massapequa………..7…..17…13…11 – 48   

F: Petit-Frere 16, Mingo 8, Dhaliwal 6, Jenkins 4, DiCarlo 4 Totals: 38. M: Husmann 11-2-11, Henderson 0-1-10, Smocovich 4-2-9, Van Buren 6-0-9, Young 4-6-4, Donahue 5-0-5, Fasulo 3-0-0 Totals: 33-11-38. Three-Pointers: F: Petit-Frere 2, Dhaliwal 2. M: Henderson 3, Smocovich 2, Husmann 1, Young 1.