By Mitch Abramson
“We're used to the rims and the lighting, and the fans are great,” he said. “It definitely gives us a home court advantage.”Last Thursday, during a 61-54 come-from-behind-win over No. 17 Monroe in an PSAL 'A' first round playoff game, the fans once again proved their worth by making their appearance felt in a unique way.The Bulldogs made 20-of-29 free throws during the game. Each time their player stepped to the line, as if by design, the boisterous, feet-stomping crowd would fall as quiet as a Sunday morning, allowing them to concentrate.”When they do that, they make it like there's no pressure,” said senior Dennis Jones. “It's nice and quiet and it allows you to focus on making your shots.”Trailing 45-44 with five minutes left in the game, Jones stepped to the line and in absolute solitude, drained both shots to give No. 16 Long Island City (24-4) a lead it would not relinquish. Jones scored the next four points, all on foul shots to finish 7-for-7 from the line. He had 11 points in the game.”I work hard on my foul shots,” he said. “I take around 30 free throws in practice. I always make my clutch free throws.”Long Island City trailed 34-24 at the half and was having trouble guarding center Michael Glover and guard Darian David who combined for 24 points in the first and second quarters. With David draining 3-pointers and Glover a handfull under the basket, Long Island City appeared outclassed.The Bulldogs had been in this position before, most recently when they played the same Monroe team three weeks ago and trailed at the half by 9 points. Watstein changed defenses then, employing a 1-3-1 half-court trap, and they won the game on a pair of free throws by Preston Bell.At halftime last Thursday, Watstein once again utilized the 1-3-1 trap to positive returns. Long Island City held Monroe to just 6 points in the third quarter. It was a pivotal quarter as the Bulldogs finished with a 13-2 run and a pair of free throws by Chris Diodonet, who finished with 15 points to tie the score at 40. Preston Bell led the Bulldogs with 16. Diodonet was inserted into the starting lineup because second-leading scorer Silvio Marfe missed the game for violating team rules.”I was saving that defense in case we needed it,” said Watstein, who reached the Sweet 16 for the first time in his seven years as head coach and will meet top-seeded Lincoln on March 1. “We've had so many close games this year that we've come back and won that we know down the stretch we're going to win it.”Sophomore Chris Knez hit an acrobatic layup to give LIC its first lead of the game, 42-40 at the start of the fourth quarter. David went cold from the perimeter, scoring just two of his 17 points and Glover, who had a game-high 24 points, missed several critical shots down the stretch. With 32 seconds remaining and trailing 58-54, Monroe (15-13) chose to foul and Long Island City connected on 6-of-8 free throws to seal the win.”Coach told us to keep out heads together at halftime, and we came out and executed in the second half,” said Bell, a star on the football team who said he will probably attend prep school next year and then maybe Fayetteville State in North Carolina. “We never gave up.”Cardozo 94, Martin Van Buren 78. Seniors Drew Gladstone and Vic Morris scored 21 points each for No. 3 Cardozo (23-6) in the first round of the PSAL 'A' playoffs last Thursday. Cardozo will play No. 14 Grady, an 89-58 winner over Susan McKinney, March 3 at Elmcor at 7 p.m. Marques Cox had 20 points and Devin Epps scored 19 in the win. Van Buren finished the season 15-8. Campus Magnet 60, New Dorp 54. Point guard Evan Thomas scored 23 points last Thursday for No. 13 Campus Magnet (23-5), which advanced to the second round, where it will play No. 4 Wings Academy March 4 at Lehman College at 7 p.m.Bryant 68, Boys & Girls 66. Tony Dennison scored five points in overtime for No. 26 Bryant (20-7) last Thursday in a first round 'A' playoff game over No. 7 Boys & Girls. Dennison finished with 24 points. Bryant will meet No. 10 Manhattan Center on March 2 at Hunter College at 5 p.m. Johnny Barnes had 19 points and 15 rebounds, and Jack Ratajczawk had 6 blocks and 10 rebounds in the win.Bayside 53, Robeson 51. Brandon Smith (8 points) scored the game-winner with one second left for No. 25 Bayside (17-5) in a first round 'A' playoff game last Thursday. Patrick Hazel had 30 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 blocks in the win over No. 8 Robeson. Bayside will face No. 9 Wadleigh Tuesday at 5 p.m, at Lehman College. Springfield Gardens 72, South Shore 68. Charles Jenkins scored 16 points, handed out 10 assists and converted a pair of free throws with 2.7 seconds remaining for No. 18 Springfield Gardens (23-3) last Thursday in a first round 'A' playoff win over No. 15 South Shore. Springfield Gardens will meet No. 2 Frederick Douglass, 88-50 winners over Jamaica in a first round match, on March 2 at Hunter College at 7 p.m.Robert F. Wagner 78, South Bronx 63. Latiyf Scarborough had 26 points and Carl Wardlaw chipped in with 24 points and 10 assists for No. 15 Wagner (22-5) in a first round 'B' playoff game last Thursday. Wagner will face No. 2 Jane Addams March 2 at Jane Addams at 4:30 p.m.Reach reporter Mitch Abramson by e-mail at TimesLedger@aol.com or call 718-229-0300 Ext. 130.
