Declan Lally delivers in clutch as Floral Park defeats Wantagh in Nassau Class A semifinal

The barking of Wantagh fans and cheers of Floral Park boys basketball supporters echoed around Floral Park junior Declan Lally as he stepped up to the free-throw line with 30.2 seconds remaining and the score at 58-53.

But he didn’t think about it, or at least said he didn’t. Lally boxed out the noise, leaving behind only the sound of both his shots swishing through the hoop.

“Obviously they were big free throws,” Lally said. “You just got to take a deep breath, calm down and shoot them like you always do in practice.”

Those two points were part of Lally’s 13 second-half points as his 15 points helped top-seeded Floral Park hold off No. 5 Wantagh for a 61-56 victory 61-56, in the Nassau Class A semifinal round at Farmingdale State College. The two sides have met three times, with Wednesday night’s result representing the closest winning margin yet.

“They were very well prepared for us tonight,” coach Sean Boyle said. “We knew it was going to be a war, and our guys were ready for it.”

Wantagh came out swinging with a 19-point first quarter to lead by six. The Knights didn’t take a lead until their final basket before halftime, courtesy of a Collin Murphy three-pointer off a terrific offensive rebound and pass from junior Brady Croon to make it 28-25.

“I know what Brady brings to this team, and it’s leadership and grit,” Boyle said. “He’s the hardest worker on the team.”

That effort helped Floral Park limit Wantagh to 14 points combined across the second and third quarters.

“We know what we’re capable of,” junior Brendan Martin said. “We just stay focused and ready on the defensive end.”

Wantagh levied constant double-teams against senior Anthony Caris, who countered with a game-high five assists. That included an alley-oop to junior Brendan Martin, who tipped the pass in for two of his 14 points.

“I’m always looking for him, that’s my guy often on the court,” said Caris, who finished with 14 points. “I’m always going to trust Brendan.”

Wantagh struggled to connect from deep until it was too late, hitting just one of its six three-pointers before the final five minutes of the game. Smothering defense and productive scoring from

senior Kevin Gutfleisch (15 points, four steals) and senior Oliver Iacobazzi (12 points, four steals) helped Wantagh (13-9) compete to the final buzzer.

Floral Park (18-4) will face No. 3 West Hempstead, which defeated No. 7 Valley Stream North, 51-46, Saturday, March 8, back at Farmingdale State College at 4 p.m.

“We just got a lot of heart,” Lally said. “At the start of the season we set a goal to go as far as possible. We work hard, we play hard and we stick to it.”