Manhasset blew past West Hempstead, 68-55 last Tuesday evening in the first round of the playoffs. If you could synthesize all of the elements of good fundamental team basketball and visualize it, then all you had to do was witness the play of Manhasset High's Indians against West Hempstead's Rams. The 8 and 4 (league record) Manhasset club knew they were facing a voracious Ram club who possessed many of their same skills. Winning the contest, however, depended on how well the Indians could utilize those skills and manipulate the necessary elements of fundamental play to their advantage. Fluid ball movement, timely shooting, and a relentless board presence clarified and articulated these elements that led to the Indians opening round victory.

The game began with each team exhibiting smooth passing and transition play that helped to set up their respective offenses. The first quarter showcased many of Manhasset's main guns: Andre Vanderpool, Zach Armen, Blake Redford and Anwar Huffman. Each had a hand in distributing the ball fluidly around the key until they found an open shooter. High school clubs are often plagued by a scheme of over-passing during their set-up, or overcompensating by rushing furiously to the hoop. Both the Indians and Rams played a patient, but spritely executed first quarter that ended with the Indians holding a 16-14 edge.

The Indians took over the game in the second quarter when they went on a 17-6 run that ultimately broke the Rams' backs. Vanderpool put on a show with 18 footers, tip-ins, and slam-dunks that compelled the Rams to key in on him. This strategy would ultimately backfire because Vanderpool, Redford, or Armen would counter by hitting the open man for an easy lay-up or a crisp 12-footer. Vanderpool would finally finish the game with 27 points and 10 rebounds, but perhaps the most compelling statistic of the entire game came in the first half as both teams combined to commit only one foul. Given the rambunctious nature of teens and the pressure of a playoff contest, it would seem so matter of fact to expect four or five fouls levied to each team.

The scarcity of clock stoppages kept the first half moving at a break-neck pace that appeared to end just minutes after the opening tip. The second half play, however, would not nearly be as crisp as the teams combined for 13 fouls, but with a 43-24 half-time lead, there was little for the Indians to be concerned about. The Indians kept the Rams at bay with their throttle-like press and defensive board play. Their ability to maintain composure and control the tempo allowed the Indians to take high percentage shots and gamble with long-range bombs. The Rams would have to settle for exuberance and heart for their attempt to stay in the game, but the double-digit deficit late in the fourth would be too high a mountain for them to climb.

In their second round of the playoffs against the Island Trees Bulldogs, the Manhasset Indians put forth a shell of their effort the previous Tuesday. With all deference given to the hustle and some of the best team execution I've witnessed all season by the Bulldogs, the Indians did not play the kind of game that got them there in the first place. The Indians possess a lot of heart and they put it on display with a near miracle comeback in the fourth quarter, but this Bulldog team proved to be too feisty and mentally tough to let it get away from them. In what turned out to be an exhilarating finish, the Manhasset hopes for a county championship went by the boards as they fell to the Bulldogs, 65-59.

Just as the Indians imposed their will on the West Hempstead Rams after the first quarter in their Tuesday evening contest, the Island Trees Bulldogs would do the same to the Indians in their Friday afternoon meeting at JFK High School in Bellmore. The Indians looked as if they were going to continue the florid and finely executed basketball finesse that they seemed to patent in their previous contest when Zach Armen buried a three just after the opening tip. Those kinds of electric moments would come few and far between as the Bulldogs went on a 10-0 run that gave them a 14-8 first quarter lead. The Bulldogs would be led by Roberto Cabarcas, Jonathan Squigna and Gerard Van Leuvan who proved to be the catalysts in an overall exhibition of passing, shooting, and defense that made the Indians scratch their heads throughout most of the contest.

It wasn't so much that any one of these players played superstar caliber basketball, but that each of them led by hammering home the small details of team play. Every time a fan looked up, it appeared as if a Bulldog player was causing and/or scrambling for a loose ball. The Bulldogs shot well, but their offensive half-court set-up allowed them to get their players to the optimum shooting points on the floor. If the Bulldogs didn't convert a bucket on their first option, then another Bulldog player (usually Cabarcas) would be there to grab a board and put back a missed opportunity. Back-doors, give-and-goes, and behind the back passes may appear to be flashy at times, but for the Bulldogs it was part of purposeful plan - score by utilizing all of your weapons and leave nothing on the floor. The closing buzzer of the third quarter saw the Bulldogs take a 47-34 lead and a seemingly insurmountable task to undertake for the Indians.

The Indians made a valiant fourth quarter comeback effort with the kind of ferocity and hustle that brought them to this moment in the season. Vanderpool hadn't made many of his shots throughout the first three quarters, but hit a couple of key jumpers and a dunk mid-way through the fourth. Armen added a key put-back and before anyone knew what was happening, the Indians were down by three with two minutes to play. As I mentioned earlier, however, it is the small details of execution that can put a team over the top. The Bulldogs finished the game by going 6 for 8 at the line whereas the Indians missed four free throws in the fourth alone. The Indians shot barely over 50 percent at the line by going 11-21. Conversely, the Bulldogs converted 18 of 23 from the stripe. What does this mean in the final analysis? Simply put, if the Indians can strengthen some of their fundamentals, in this case, their free throw shooting, they'll be moving even further in the playoffs next year. All in all, congratulations should go out to the Indians for a fine season.