Clarkstown South overcame the absence of senior forward/guard Michael McCahey in a 69-33 drubbing of Hackley in the consolation game of the MLK Holiday Basketball Tournament at Albertus Magnus Monday.
The victory improved Clarkstown South’s record to 10-3 on the season.
McCahey, who is the Vikings' leading scorer, was still feeling the effects of having a 103-degree fever for three days, according to Clarkstown South head coach Matt Backs. McCahey played with limited effectiveness Sunday against Albertus Magnus.
“We just wanted to emphasize that some things are going to happen in life. You've got to be able to adjust,” Backs said. “So we sat him today. He wanted to play. We sat him today and just came out and competed.
The Vikings came out with energy on both ends of the floor, setting a frenetic pace that Hackley simply could not match. Clarkstown South’s starters, led by senior guard Clayton Roker, opened up a large lead. The bench took over from there.
“We had a nice little stretch during the second quarter where a lot of the guys that don’t typically get to play the starter minutes got to play, and they executed well,” Backs said. “The biggest guy on the floor was probably 6’2, and the rest were probably 5’8 or 5’9, and they just got after it. They got in passing lanes, they pressured, they boxed out. And when they got the ball, they just ran. And that’s when we’re at our strongest.”
That second-quarter squad pressed Hackley and forced them to cough up the ball numerous times, resulting in easy baskets for the Vikings. Clarkstown South led 45-12 at halftime.
Sophomore guard Joseph Zayer led a balanced Viking attack with 11 points. Senior forwards Christopher Bunyan and Kevin Martinez added eight points each, while sophomore forward Kyle Beckmann scored seven points.
Sophomore guard Daniel Chung scored 11 points to lead Hackley. Junior forward Max Parauda scored eight points, and senior center AJ Wolfe contributed four points.
