Honoring its departing seniors, the boys varsity basketball team played its annual Senior Game. The Vikings faced off against the MacArthur Generals on Feb. 7 in front of a packed crowd. The game started off with a ceremony including speeches from Head Coach Mr. Sean Dooley. Coach Dooley’s speeches were individually directed towards each of the senior players. In the speeches, Dooley talked about each of the player’s growth with the program, how much each of them have meant to the team, as well as college and what the future held for the players. Then, each of the seniors families came onto the court with pride and took pictures, while the players gave their mothers a bouquet of flowers. It was a touching ceremony for both the players and the fans in attendance.
The game started off with senior David Kobus scoring the first basket. The quick score energized the team and helped Port jump out to a 17-6 lead after the first quarter.
In the second quarter, MacArthur fought back and had a run of their own. Despite the General’s push, the Vikings countered and took a comfortable lead at the half.
In the third quarter, the Vikings showed its defensive prowess by holding MacArthur to just 4 points. After the third, the Vikings were poised for a win.
In the fourth quarter, Port sealed the deal at a score of 60-32. Notable performances for the Vikings came from senior point guard Matt Siegel, who did not score but dished out 12 assists in addition to pulling down eight boards. The high scorers of the game include seniors Ryan Kriftcher, who scored 16 points, and David Kobus, who tacked on 15 points.
With this win Port improved to a conference record of 9-3, which helped boost momentum for the playoffs.
“The senior game was such a special event for the team. The seniors have put in so much work to get to where they are, and they truly deserve the ceremony and credit they received. Seeing how dominant we were in front of such a large crowd makes me very excited to grow with the Vikings,” said sophomore Zach Jimenez.
Coming off the win against the MacArthur Generals, the boys varsity basketball team played the 10 seeded Massapequa Chiefs in the first round of playoff action.
After a loud first quarter, the Vikings led the game 14-12. The Chiefs then made a few adjustments to help them gain a lead by a score of 27-26. The stage was set for a competitive second half.
By the start of the fourth quarter, the Chiefs were up by only two points. After a back-and-fourth seven minutes of the 4th quarter, the Vikings were down 54-52 when senior captain Ryan Kriftcher was fouled on a shot.
Kriftcher hit both free throws to help tie up the game at 54-54. After a few missed shots, Massapequa had the ball with 10.1 seconds left.
With the gym shaking, Massapequa brought up the ball and found an open man in the corner for a three pointer, giving the Vikings only 2.4 seconds.
The bucket put the Chiefs ahead by three, and ultimately gave them the win.
The Vikings were led by Kriftcher who had 24 points and by junior Noah Linder who tallied 13 points.
“We played hard and we all wanted to win the game. But, with the way we shot, it is hard to beat a team as good as Massepequa,” said Linder.
The Vikings finished with the season with a 9-4 conference record and an overall record of 12-6.