Long Island City coach Harley Watstein said his team’s goal was to survive and advance.
Mission accomplished. Barely.
Watstein’s Bulldogs escaped host Beach Channel with a 45-43 upset in the opening round of the PSAL Queens borough championship tournament on Tuesday. Fifth-seeded Long Island City will play top-seeded Bayside in the semifinals on Thursday.
“Whether you win by two or you win by 32, a win is a win and we’re moving on and we’re so excited,” Watstein said.
With less than four minutes to play, Long Island City, an ‘A’ team, held a 44-35 lead, but Beach Channel cut the nine-point deficit to just five at the 2:03 mark. Senior forward Ismail Abdullah had four straight points and a pair of free throws just nine seconds later to bring the Dolphins to within 45-41.
The teams traded misses before Beach Channel senior forward Yachin Blake tipped in his only basket of the game with 28 seconds remaining to make the score 45-43.
After LIC senior guard Xavier Jones missed the front end of a one and one,
Beach Channel’s Kapreme Irving launched a contested three-pointer with three seconds left that did not fall, and Abdullah missed a last-second put-back attempt.
Senior guard Sadji Camara led LIC (23-2, 14-0 PSAL) with 18 points and Arthur Santana added 10. Senior guard Kevin Green Jr. chipped in eight points.
Watstein said his team’s defense was the key to the victory.
“If we keep it a low-scoring game, we had a chance to win on the road in a very intense atmosphere,” Watstein said. “Coming to Beach Channel, tough place to play, and the kids hit some big shots.”
Abdullah led Beach Channel (10-9, 9-5) with 17 points and was proud of his team’s effort.
“We played hard and we didn’t quit,” Abdullah said. “That’s the best thing I can say about this game, we didn’t quit.”
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In other Queens Borough quarterfinals, Bayside defeated John Adams, 60-38; Campus Magnet beat Springfield Gardens, 69-49, and Cardozo downed Construction, 83-46.
