Mineola Boys Basketball Slams Roosevelt 59-40

Roosevelt must have thought that they were traveling to Mineola Tuesday evening to compete in a WWE event.

That could be the only explanation why they finished the game, a 59-40 win for the Mustangs , with 21 fouls - eight in the first half and a whopping 13 in the second.

One charge at 4:12 in the first quarter by star Rough Rider guard Terrance Greer sent Mustang sophomore guard Mike Waszczuk to the floor and subsequently to recuperate on the bench.

Waszczuk got a bit of payback by scoring 12 of his team’s 15 points in the third quarter, finishing the game with 14 coming off of a career-high 24 points Saturday against Seaford.

“Roosevelt likes to bang,” Mineola Coach Jim Hegmann said, “but we’re used to it.”

With the Rough Riders smothering the Mustangs on ‘D’ and sacrificing their bodies by diving to the floor in attempts to snag the ball, Mineola adapted quickly.

Junior forward Matthew Moro matched Roosevelt’s rebounding aggressiveness and claimed 10 boards, while senior forward and co-captain Thomas Ward had eight.

While Roosevelt played nagging defense, their tight ‘D’ was part of their downfall. They began doubling up on the Mustangs, leaving Mineola to take advantage of open men through delicate but sharp passing. Roosevelt’s powerful momentum was also a hampering factor and their shots often clanked against rim and backboard with much more force than necessary.

The exception of course was Greer, who’s Kobe-esque moves earned him a team-high 16 points coming off of an admirable 18 point game Saturday against Valley Stream North.

While Greer killed it for his team, his skills could not carry them.

Mineola took the win in part because they had several players contribute big numbers. Ward had 20, Waszczuk had 14 and senior forward and co-captain Jimmy Bulva had 12.

“We played hard and played as a team,” Hegmann said. “We were able to move and share the ball rather than toss it up.”

The league win brings Mineola’s Conference A-IV record to 2-0, leaving them tied with Valley Stream North for first place. Their overall record improves to 5-4.