The MacArthur varsity boys basketball team has completed its best season in a decade.
Senior guard Ryan Cunningham sank two free throws with 2.3 seconds remaining in overtime and the No. 8-seeded Generals won their playoff opener, 58-56, against No. 9 Port
Washington on Valentine’s Day in Levittown.
MacArthur won its first playoff game since beating Carey on Feb. 22, 2005. It also marked the first home playoff game for the Generals since that decade-old game.
Against Port Washington, senior guard Brian Perez scored a team-high 17 points, followed by Cunningham with 16, senior forward Greg Baumstein with 12 and junior guard Mike Creaven with six.
Creaven, getting increased playing time with MacArthur shorthanded at guard, drilled a pair of critical three-pointers. The latter came with 3:36 remaining in the fourth quarter to give the Generals a 51-50 lead.
Cunningham added a three-pointer 43 seconds later as the Generals opened a four-point lead. However, Port Washington scored the final four points of regulation to force the extra session.
The Generals’ season then ended with a second-round loss at top-seeded Baldwin, which improved to 17-1. MacArthur finished with an 11-8 record.
