This team's clock is ticking.
Half Hollow Hills East is about to rewrite the history of the Long Island Boys AAA basketball championship, which will face Port Washington on Sunday, after being eliminated by Buzzer Beater, last year's LI title game at Farmingdale State University.
“When I enter [to Farmingdale]Senior center Jordan Cader told the Post after beating William Floyd (57-40) last weekend.
“It was a really close game from halfway through.
We got a flashback of what happened and then we started to be motivated by what we didn't want to happen again. ”
Two seasons ago, the first round match against Floyd began to tend to be extremely frustrating when the Redhawks lost, 57-55, their final two-second shot. Last year, after HHH won Suffolk County at 43-40 Smithtown West, the mighty Elmont team did the same, winning the Lee Championship 53-51.
“We didn't cut the corner. We wanted to be ready this year,” coach Mike Marcelin said of the 20-3 team. His season began the day after he lost to Elmont last March.
“We've been working [in the] Offseason – The guys were non-stop in the gym. They matured the game on and off the court. We developed it, but I think we are growing as a team. ”
According to Marcelyn, the Redhawks started out with several summer leagues and camps. Marcelyn deliberately scheduled a cruel, out-of-meet matchup to test the team's grit.
They fought at Long Island Lutheran and Eagle Academy II in Brooklyn, where Carmelo Anthony's son, Kiyan, and fell to DeWitt Clinton of the Bronx and another buzzer beater.
Nevertheless, their only three losses, which Marcelyn called the key dish of “humble pie,” led to double-digit wins in all the playoff games for the Red Hawks.
They flock together
Players say this year will not result in a higher level of competition that has changed on the North Shore.
“Last year, you could see the gap during practice… Your seniors had their own, so did Junior,” Cador said. “Everyone is on the same page this year, so it's much better than last year.”
The emotional aspect of team building is also a coach's priority, and along with his staff, they are all graduates of the school's program.
Throughout the year, Marcelin bowled the players, held other fun events, loosened the guys and bonded.
“Freshmen, sophomores, they all bought it,” senior point guard Brandon Barrack said. “Even all of us went to McDonald's right after we won the Suffolk title.”
Heading to the hill
Apart from fun and games, the close crew — they call themselves the “East Side” — knows there is a mental and physical job that should be done by 1:30pm on Sundays in Farmingdale.
Cador said the team must have seen last year's buzzer beater “more than a thousand times” because of this motive.
“It's time to make new memories,” said junior shooting guard Skyler Ellis. “We erase what happened in the past and move on to the present.”
For the week before Sunday's title game, HHH dedicated his practice time to the buzzer beater drill.
“We have to be prepared so that we don't have to be prepared,” Marcelin said. “We know what it takes to get there now, we know what it takes to win.”
