Mount Sinai Repeats as Suffolk County Class A Basketball Champions, Tops Kings Park 62-30

Senior Brian Vales stood in the tunnel after the final buzzer, mentally checking off a list his team had built before the season even started. The Suffolk County Class A championship was the second item. The first, a league title, was already done.

"Everyone knew what the goal was at the start of the season," Vales said. "First goal, league championship. Once we got that, now it was [a] county championship."

The top-seeded Mount Sinai Mustangs made it look routine, defeating Kings Park 62-30 at Stony Brook on Saturday, March 7, to capture the Suffolk County Class A title for the second consecutive year. The win pushed their record to 21-2 and punched their ticket to the Long Island Class A championship at Farmingdale State College.

Mount Sinai controlled the game from the opening tip, building a 14-4 lead through the first quarter and extending it to 28-10 by halftime as the defense repeatedly shut down Kings Park's attempts to score. Kings Park briefly responded at the start of the third quarter with a 7-5 run over the first three minutes, but Mount Sinai answered by outscoring the Stallions 13-4 the remainder of the period, taking a 42-19 lead into the fourth. Vales said that particular run, driven by the Mustangs' transition offense, was the moment he knew the championship was theirs.

Vales finished with 18 points, 12 rebounds, and three steals to lead the offense. Sophomore Andrew McNeely ran the floor to near perfection beside him, contributing 14 points, eight assists, and four steals. Senior Alex Campanelli, one of only two returning starters from last year's title team alongside Vales, added two points, six assists, and three steals. Dante Gervino chipped in 12 points and four rebounds as the Mustangs controlled both ends of the floor and the glass throughout.

The defense was particularly focused on Kings Park star Kyle Edmundson, who was held to just seven points. Campanelli shadowed Edmundson for most of the contest, with Vales stripping his drives to the basket.

"He's been that guy for us all year long," Mount Sinai head coach Ryan McNeely said of Campanelli. "He covers the best player on the other team every time, and he takes it on as a challenge. He embraces it."

Vales credited the team's unselfishness as the engine behind consecutive county championships. "We move the ball really well, just like last year's group," he said. "The reason for our success over the last few years is because of our ball movement. Everyone gets involved in the offense; it's not just a one-man show."

Mount Sinai faced Nassau County champion Floral Park Memorial in the Long Island Class A final at Farmingdale State College on March 10. Floral Park, which had won its second straight Nassau County title by defeating Friends Academy 70-53 on March 6, erased a 10-point deficit and defeated the Mustangs 76-60, claiming the Long Island Class A championship for the first time in school history. Floral Park is scheduled to face Section 1 winner Tappan Zee on March 14 in a state qualifier.