Great Neck South junior Vinny Patrey’s last-second heroics from behind the arc were not enough to get the Rebels a win against Calhoun Monday, Feb. 11.
The Great Neck South Rebels varsity boys basketball team missed their chance to win their Conference AA-III with a 68-65 overtime loss to Calhoun.
But the shot by the seldom-deployed reserve was enough to touch off a wild celebration and some notoriety on the Web.
“It just all hit me,” Patrey said reflecting on what went though his mind when his shot approached the basket.
With his teammates going wild, Patrey said the excitement he felt was “just too much.”
Patrey’s late-game heroics – and the raucous celebrated that followed his shot – was captured on camera and posted to a Web site for all to see.
Down by three in the waning seconds of the game, Patrey had received a pass from the top of the key and fired up a shot from behind the 3-point line over the fingertips of a Calhoun defender. The shot hit the backboard and banked in, tying the score at 58-58 and sending the game into overtime.
Perhaps most impressive is the fact that Patrey was inserted at the very end of the game and hadn’t even touched the ball until that moment.
In fact, Patrey last saw time on the court on Jan. 31 in a 75-45 Rebels victory over Mepham (1-16).
Great Neck South head coach Steve Liebowitz said Patrey could be a big part of the Rebels next year, saying he has an “uncanny ability to shoot long range shots.”
“He made me look good that night,” Liebowitz said.
The Rebels are the No. 2 seed with a 12-4 record overall and 10-3 in the conference. Elmont won the conference with a 12-2 conference record, and was tied with the Rebels overall.
Kyle McGinley’s 3-point shot with 13.2 seconds left in overtime would later secure the win for Calhoun (10-4).
Mitchell Finkel scored 24 points for the Rebels, outscoring Calhoun’s top scorer Brian Downey who had 21 points. Brandon Brown scored 15 points and had one 3-pointer.
Liebowitz said the team is not planning any major changes and hoped to keep its momentum going.
“We’re just plugging along, everyone is playing great and we’re going to do our best,” Liebowitz said.
The Rebels will face Hicksville (14-4) on Wednesday evening in a conference quarterfinal game. Hicksville defeated Oceanside (10-8) 64-53 over the weekend.
