Great Neck South's clutch plays and defense lead to victory over Jericho
Jesse Tricario of Great Neck South, right, congratulates teammate Jesse Roggendorf after he sunk a shot and drew a foul for a three point play in the third quarter of a Nassau Conference AA-III boys basketball game against host Jericho on Saturday. Credit: James Escher
Great Neck South trailed by 10 early in the third quarter of a boys basketball game at Jericho, but the Rebels were hardly fazed.
Five different Rebels scored to even the score at the end of the third quarter, but their defense made the difference. Great Neck South allowed just 16 points in the final 15 minutes and zero in the final 3:58.
Guard Edwin Serpas’ transition layup gave the Rebels a two-point lead with two minutes left, and guard John Roggendorf’s layup plus the foul extended it to five with 39 seconds left. Great Neck South’s gutsy defensive effort and clutch plays down the stretch highlighted a 57-49 Nassau Conference AA-III win.
“We had to contain them somehow,” said Rebels guard Jesse Roggendorf, who had 15 points. “We were down like 10 to start the third, and we just didn’t give up. We just kept fighting.”
“Containing [No.] 5 [Jason Kim] and [No.] 24 [Dev Anne] were a tough task for us,” Great Neck South coach Mike Holleran said. “But the kids stepped it up. We got a lot of parts. We got guys who can knock down shots, and we got some bigs that can knock down shots.”
With the win, Great Neck South (13-3, 9-1) ensured it would remain in a tie with East Meadow for first place in AA-III.
Anne scored 16 points and Guri Chadha had 14 points for Jericho (13-3, 7-3). Great Neck South, Jericho and East Meadow had each secured Class AA playoff berths before Saturday.
Guard Shaun Wei hit a corner three-pointer with five seconds left in the third quarter to even the score at 40 heading into the fourth quarter.
The fourth featured five lead changes and two ties. Jesse Roggendorf hit a floater to give the Rebels a 42-40 lead with 7:51 left, its first advantage since 21-18 with 4:02 left in the second quarter.
Chadha’s second three of the fourth quarter gave Jericho a 47-44 lead with 5:56 left. John Roggendorf’s second-chance layup cut the Rebels’ deficit to one with 5:40 left, and a three by his twin Jesse gave them a 49-47 lead with 4:48 left.
“It was huge,” Jesse Roggendorf said. “ . . . It changed the pace of the game.”
Anne hit a tough two to tie it at 49 with 3:58 left before Serpas’ layup put the Rebels up for good.
“I got a great group of guys,” Holleran said. “There’s a lot of different personalities. So it’s just fun to come in. They work hard. They enjoy each other’s company. It’s just a great atmosphere.”
Ben Dickson joined Newsday’s high school sports staff in 2023 after graduating from Maryland, where he covered several of the Terrapins' teams.
