Port Washington boys basketball team one step closer to first Nassau title in 78 years
Cole Reyes #3 of Port Washington pulls up for a jumper during the first quarter of the Nassau Class AAA semifinals against Farmingdale at Farmingdale State College on Sunday, March 2, 2025. Credit: James Escher
It has been 78 long years since Port Washington’s varsity boys basketball team felt the exhilaration that comes with claiming a Nassau championship.
The Vikings had their chances to match that 1947 feeling in 2023 and 2024 but fell in the final.
Could this finally be the year again?
They soon will get an opportunity to see.
The top-seeded Vikings received 17 points from senior guard Cole Reyes and 11 from senior forward Ryan Shanahan en route to a 54-43 win over No. 5 Farmingdale in Sunday’s Class AAA semifinal game at Farmingdale State.
“What’s driving us is probably the 78 years and the third time [in the final] and we haven’t won it,” Reyes said. “[We want it] for this town, for [assistant] Coach [Tom] Pisani, for Coach [Sean] Dooley, for my teammates, for the parents.”
Port Washington (18-4) will pursue the title at 8 p.m. Saturday against second-seeded East Meadow (19-3), again at Farmingdale State. Isaiah Perkins scored 21 points to help power the Jets past No. 3 Uniondale, 56-42, in the other semifinal.
“When you’ve been there for now three years in a row and you haven’t gotten one [in the previous two], I think that eats at you a little bit,” Dooley said. “So we want to get one. But I don’t want to be consumed by it. I want us to have a great week of practice and come out and play our best game Saturday.
“And if that’s good enough to win, we’re going to celebrate like crazy.”
Port Washington’s lead stood at nine with 1:30 left in the third quarter, but Shanahan was in foul trouble. Then Billy Edelstein hit a three-pointer and Chase Kovar nailed two more in a 9-2 closing run that made it 46-30.
“I don’t know if we win the game without that stretch right there,” Dooley said.
Reyes and Shanahan scored six apiece as the Vikings took a 14-6 lead after one quarter.
“It was very important,” Reyes said of the fast start.
Jake Mangio missed Farmingdale’s quarterfinal win over Hempstead with a sprained ankle, but the standout senior guard was back and scored 10 of his 20 points in the second quarter.
The Dalers (13-8) trailed 27-20 at halftime. The Vikings didn’t let it get under seven.
“The real difference was they hit all their open shots,” Farmingdale coach Jim Pastier said. “When you lose, it’s always disappointing. You want to be the last team standing.”
