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The Spackenkill Spartans boys varsity basketball team came out strong on Saturday night, Jan. 19, defeating the Dover Dragons, 57-42, in a non-league, Class B game held at Dutchess Community College.
Earning the win helped the Spartans get one step closer to their preseason goal of making the Sectional playoffs.
“Winning any game in your class is progress toward Sectionals,” said Spartans player Kevin Davis.
“They’re playing great,” said Paul Fanuele, principal of Spackenkill High School, who was at the game with his daughter.
Leading scorers for the Spartans included Kyle Roys, with 25 points, Davis, with 14, Sean Feeley, with 11, Phil Kemp with four, Adam Wright with two and Connor Pardell, who notched one.
Just before the half, Dover’s John Solerno gave his team a 25-24 edge with a last-second three-pointer, one of two for Solerno on the night. It proved to be the last time in the game Dover had the lead.
Early in the second half, Sean Feeley nailed a three to put the Spartans ahead 27-25. Feeley totaled three three-pointers in the game. With 42 seconds left in the third quarter, the Spartans had increased their lead to 40-31, and Dover called a timeout to regroup.
But the Spartans were able to keep their lead into the fourth quarter, increasing it to 13 at 47-34 with just under five minutes left in the game.
But despite the lead, Spackenkill coach Terry Feeley constantly kept the pressure on his team. “Get tight, don’t stack!” Feeley yelled from the sidelines.
After the game, Feeley said he was surprised by the height of the Dover team.
“They (Dover players) have some good size,” he said.
Roys noted that the team’s strong start put them in good position to control the second half.
“The first half we didn’t rebound that well, but we came out playing hard,” Roys said.
Terry Feeley said that the Spartans were able to balance their perimeter scoring with interior points, a key to their victory.
“The closer you can get to the basket, it’s always better,” he said.
Davis added that defense was a key part of Spackenkill’s win.
“We needed to pick up our defense and play more so as a team,” he said.
The Spartans are a team with a history and a dynamic that extends beyond just this season.
“A few of the guys have been on here for two or three years, but we have a few new guys,” Davis said, who added that he has been a varsity basketball player since the eighth grade.
From Terry Feeley’s perspective, the win against Dover helped soothe the pain from the previous night’s loss to Wallkill.
“It’s a game that moves us a little closer to qualifying for Sectionals,” he said. “Last night we lost by a last-second shot.”
Terry Feeley credited his entire team, in particular the players who came off the bench in the second half, who helped win the rebounding battle and salt away the victory.
“I knew it wasn’t going to be a pretty game,” he said. “It was going to be who’s going to play harder.”
The Spartans improved to 8-4, and their next home game will be Friday, Jan 25 at 6:45 p.m. against FDR High School.
