Great Neck North’s Varsity basketball team kicked off the season on Tuesday, Dec. 5, away at Massapequa High School.
The Blazers started the contest quietly, until Eric Shirian knocked down a deep three.
The contest swayed back and forth as the GNN team had an all-balanced attack, getting deep-ranged three-point field goals from Joe Gohari, Eliot Kadouri and Joe Harooni.
The third quarter ended with MHS going on a 15-9 run, led by All-County probable forward Kevin Voight who tallied 35 points in the contest.
Steals by Daniel Sharifian, Roger Hyman and Julien Hakimian resulted in quick buckets for North, and three consecutive offensive rebounds by Hyman brought the Blazers within three with less than 30 seconds left. After a strong defensive press by Coach Linderman, Hakimian, 24 for the game, buried a three to tie the contest and force overtime.
Unfortunately, the Chiefs would not miss from the foul line, unlike the Blazers who were 15-32.
The final score was 73-68 in favor of the home team.
GNN hosted rival Great Neck South on Dec 7. The energy was electric at the tip off for the GNS vs. GNN annual non-conference rivalry game.
With Eliot “The Rock” Kadouri dominating the inside, the Blazers jumped out to an early lead. But the sharp-shooting Rebels clawed their way back in to end the first half, ahead 11-10.
“As soon as Eric Shirian runs the pick and roll with Eliot, things will get better,” one of the North parents commented.
The Rebels’ swarming defense stalled the North attack, limiting Hakimian to just two shots in the first half. To make matters worse, Hyman got into foul trouble and needed to sit.
GNS led at the break 22-18.
The Rebels dominated the third quarter, led by Sheldon Henry and deep-three threat David Savzrehoo. They took a seven-point lead and things looked bleak for the home team.
As the fourth quarter began, spectators could see the urgency on the students’ faces. The Rock awoke and was a force in the paint for the Blazers. He took over and dominated, notching a double double.
The Blazers overcame a seven-point deficit through hard work and tenacity. Sharif and Hyman brought the Blazers back to even with the score at 44-44 with less than one minute left in the contest.
The athleticism of Sharifian,15 points, kept the GNN team in the game. So much so, the Rebels converged on him, which allowed Hakimian to be open for a huge three and the lead 47-44 with 35 seconds left.
The poised Blazers prevailed 50-47.
The key to the win was once North decided to run, the team was unstoppable and impossible to contain.
The JV team (2-0) was victorious as well. Leading scorer Michael Jacobs teamed up with Jackson Cronin, Luke Hakimian and Nat Hyman to lead GNN over GNS by more than 20 points. This young team is lead by a defensive press that seems impenetrable.
