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Sports

Comeback Victory For Seaford Boys Basketball

Fourth quarter rally sinks Mepham 49-44.

For the Seaford Vikings boys basketball team, off to a 2-1 start in non-conference action, Wednesday's game against Mepham had to be perplexing.

For three quarters things looked pretty grim. Facing a team that had gone 0-2 in early season action, the Vikings fell behind early and couldn't seem to find their game, as Mepham gradually built up a margin of as many as 15 points.

Fortunately for Seaford (3-1), basketball has four quarters in it and in the fourth, the Vikings came roaring back, with a 24 -10 run, erasing a nine point deficit en route to a 49-44 home victory.

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"We played well for three quarters," said Mepham point guard Kyle Wechsler, who led the Pirates with 20 points. "But then Goldstein caught fire. We couldn't guard him."

He was referring to point guard Rob Goldstein, Seaford's leading scorer, who kept his team in the game in the first half with 15 points and ended the evening with 27, including two late game three pointers and a 4-4 shooting spree from the line to steal the win right out of the Pirate's hands.

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Seaford's Mike Siler went 6 for 7 from the line in the fourth quarter contributed to the Viking comeback; as did James Gambina, who hit two three pointers in the first half and dropped the last foul shot in the net for the 49-40 win.

"We played sloppy in the beginning, but at the end we brought more intensity to the game," Gambina said. "And their foul situation in the second half was important to our ability to come back."

Goldstein agreed. "We passed the ball more in the second half to pick apart their defense, and they got into foul trouble," he said. That gave Seaford an opportunity to find gaps and drive to the basket -- opening up the perimeter for three point shots and creating foul shot opportunities.

For much of the game, it was a matter of patience for Seaford fans, hoping to see their team's game kick in.

After jumping to a 6-2 lead, Mepham went on a 8-2 run, and pulled to as many as 10 points ahead in the second quarter. At the half, it was the Pirates by 7.

"I thought we were a little too complacent, in the first half," said Seaford head coach Ralph Rosetti.

It looked like more of the same in the third quarter, as Mepham found ways to push the ball inside on offense -- but as the fourth quarter began, the Pirate's foul situation bit them, and bit them hard. Seaford pushed the ball inside in possession after possession, and their march to the line over a five-minute stretch yielded eight points and opened up the perimeter for a suddenly reignited performance by Goldstein from three-point range.

In the end, the Vikings' ability to move the ball around the perimeter and probe Mepham's foul-troubled defenses won the day. "We found the gaps, and yes, the foul situation was important," Rosetti said. "My boys are cool on the line."

Seaford is next in action at home against New Hyde Park on Dec 28 starting at 6 p.m.

Seaford….8…10…15…24……49

Mepham….10…..15…..19…...10….44

Sea: Goldstein 27, Siler 9, Gambina 7, Anczelowicz 3, Medaglia 2, Saperstein 1. Totals: 49. M: Wechsler 20, Gilroy 9, Elsasser 7, Swanson 5, Morrow 2, Waldron 1. Totals_: 44

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