Two of the best teams in Nassau County’s Conference AA-I went at it when Farmingdale hosted Uniondale on Thursday, Jan. 12. The Dalers boys’ basketball team came into the game 6-1 overall, 3-0 in-conference. Uniondale had an eight game winning streak and had yet to lose a game this season. Four of these wins came against other Conference AA-I opponents.
All eyes were on the Knights’ point guard Shaquille Mosley. The 5’7” senior ranks among Nassau’s top scorers this year, having totaled as much as 33 in a game and reaching the 20-point plateau five times.
Thirty seconds into the game, Mosley pulled up for a three to begin the scoring. Farmingdale’s Dalique Mingo made a tough basket to put the Dalers on the scoreboard. Mosley added a pull up jumper, another three and a fast break basket and Uniondale was quickly up 12-2.
Toward the end of the quarter, Mosley added another basket, this one a tough left-handed layup. The Knights led 18-6 when the period ended, with Mingo accounting for all six of Farmingdale’s first quarter points.
Uniondale made two free throws to begin the second quarter and extended their lead to 14. Mosley scored in transition and made the following free throw for a 17-point lead. DeAndre Fogan kept Farmingdale from falling terribly out of the game. He grabbed an offensive rebound and found Matt DiCarlo for a basket. Fogan added two foul shots and scored a basket after Navreet Dhaliwal came up with a steal, keeping the deficit at 15 points.
In the final minute of the half, Kevin Petit-Frere blocked a shot and made three free throws. Dalique Mingo forced a turnover and passed ahead to Curtis Jenkins for an easy basket with just seconds to spare. Farmingdale went into halftime trailing 33-21.
The Dalers came out strong in the second half. Petit-Frere made a fade-away shot and Mingo pulled up for a basket to cut the deficit to single digits. Uniondale’s Terrence Brown scored two baskets to extend the Knights’ lead. Dhaliwal responded with a hard drive to the hoop after a good fake pass, scoring and drawing a foul as well.
Uniondale had an easy fast break dunk at the other end, but Dalique Mingo scored a basket off an offensive rebound and drew the foul. After the Knights missed two free throws, Matt DiCarlo also scored after an offensive board and the Dalers trailed by just six halfway through the quarter.
The rest of the third quarter was very physical, which led to plenty of opportunities at the free throw line for both sides. Mosley made the four foul shots he attempted. Mingo and Pierre St. Simon both made two shots each from the line for Farmingdale.
After a timeout taken by the Dalers, Kevin Petit-Frere banked a three pointer to cut the lead to five points. On the other end, Shaquille Mosley was fouled by Curtis Jenkins and was given three foul shots, even though he appeared to be within the perimeter. He made all three. The Knights led 50-42 when the third quarter came to a close, Farmingdale furious with the officiating.
Uniondale was prepared to put the Dalers away early in the fourth quarter. Matt DiCarlo made a turnaround shot in the post to bring Farmingdale within six again. Mosley answered with a three pointer from the wing. Dalique Mingo came back with a basket, assisted by DeAndre Fogan, to keep Farmingdale in the game, down by seven.
But after Uniondale’s Terrence Brown made two foul shots, Shaquille Mosley connected on two consecutive, contested three pointers from well beyond the arc to ice the game for the Knights. Romario Williams helped the cause by stripping the ball from Kevin Petit-Frere to stop the Dalers’ fast break opportunity. When the final buzzer sounded, Uniondale prevailed by the final score of 66-50.
Mosley continued his excellent play, this time against one of Uniondale’s biggest threats in the conference in Farmingdale. He consistently used his quick crossover to get past his defender and create opportunities for his offense. He finished this game with 36 points, his season high. He rose to the occasion in a big game that could definitely have an effect on playoff seeding later in the season.
Farmingdale suffered their first in-conference loss and fell to 7-2. Dalique Mingo continued to lead the Dalers in scoring, this time a 17-point performance. Petit-Frere finished with 10 points.
