Kyle Kramer's late three helps Friends Academy beat North Shore, claim Nassau Class A championship
Jake Bock of Friends Academy reacts after the Quakers' 55-49 win over North Shore in the Nassau Class A boys basketball final at Farmingdale State College on Saturday. Credit: James Escher
Kyle Kramer called it the sweetest shot of all. The senior guard worked his way free and point guard Eyan Valadez passed him the ball deep in the corner of the court.
Kramer unleashed a high arcing rainbow of a shot. The lefthanded release found its final destination through the bottom of the net and the Friends Academy crowd sitting underneath the basket erupted. It was the final dagger in the Quakers quest for the Nassau Class A boys basketball final.
Kramer’s three extended a precarious three-point lead with 53 seconds left and top-seeded Friends Academy beat North Shore, 55-49, to capture the Nassau Class A crown on Saturday at Farmingdale State University.
It was the third time that Friends Academy (19-4) beat North Shore (18-5) this season. The Quakers will meet Southampton for the Long Island Class A championship Saturday at 1 p.m. at Farmingdale State University.
“It felt perfect right out of my hand,” Kramer said. “As soon as I released the shot, I knew it was gold. And to have our student section right there next to me was electric — they were fired up.”
Kramer, who had 64 three’s this season, had been held in check most of the game but continued to try and work himself free.
“I’m a shooter and get face guarded quite a bit so I have to work harder to find open space,” Kramer said. “This shot was the best feeling ever.”
The teams traded baskets in the final seconds before senior forward Jackson O’Brien closed the game with an emphatic two-handed dunk as time expired for the final margin.
“We have three guys, Kramer, [Jake] Bock and O’Brien that have been here since their sophomore year and have that big game experience,” Friends Academy coach Matt Johnsen said. “Kyle hits big shots all the time. That didn’t surprise me when he had that open look — because if you give him an inch — he’ll hit the shot — it was exciting. Our teams know each other well and I think we had just a little more balance and experience out there.”
North Shore had forged a 22-19 halftime lead mainly on the strength of second chance opportunities on the offensive boards. Senior forward Jack Molesky powered his way through the Friends defense for two of those baskets and leading scorer Vasilis Triantafyllou had two more. Triantafyllou, a senior forward, finished with a game-high 20 points.
“We did a better job defensively in the second half,” Johnsen said. “And we settled down on offense and took better shots. We needed more motion to create space.”
The Quakers turned a three-point halftime deficit into a three-point lead with a 17-11 third quarter to make it 36-33. They closed the quarter with a 7-0 run in the final 1:03. O’Brien hit a three, Kramer converted a layup off a turnover and senior Josh McKenzie scored on a put back before time expired.
“We’re getting steady guard play,” Johnsen said. “And we’re taking care of the ball.”
The Quakers had four players score in double digits. McKenzie led the way with 12 points while Kramer and Valadez added 11 each and O’Brien had 10.
Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.