The boys’ varsity basketball team hosted its annual benefit game against the Valley Stream North Spartans on Friday, January 27. The game raised money for the Wounded Warrior Project, a charity that offers help for veterans who were wounded due to military actions following the September 11 attacks. While the Owls did not come out on top, they still look at is as an overall win, raising awareness for a charity that does so much good. 

Coach Jamie Adams commented on the benefit game, along with what it meant to play for the charity: “This one definitely was close to the heart. We represented ourselves well for the veterans, and when it comes down to it, I think we got the win on the day rather than on the court because we raised some money for some very important people.”  

Senior Eli Sherman-Murphy took dignity in playing for the charity. “It was awesome knowing that we were playing for something bigger and that we were able to help the organization any way possible,” he said. 

The game started off fast, with a 12-0 run by the Spartans in the first three minutes. After some changes, Lynbrook responded with an 11-3 run in the following three minutes to finish the quarter, down 22-16. 

The fast start from Valley Stream presented some problems for the Owls. Scoring their first basket with four and a half minutes left in the half, Lynbrook headed into halftime down by nine. 

 “We started off really slow, and it’s tough to play from behind,” said junior Tim Mingo when asked about the deficit. “We could’ve taken better care of the ball and played better defense.” 

Starting off the half with a 17-6 run in the first five minutes, the Owls gained the lead and fought to maintain it throughout the quarter, ending the third up 50-49. But with Lynbrook putting all their energy into the comeback, they had nothing left in the tank to maintain it throughout the fourth, scoring six points in the final quarter and losing 66-56. 

Sherman-Murphy dropped 21 points in the loss, with Mingo adding 14 points to the score with two three-pointers. 

“It’s always tough when you dig yourself a hole like that so early,” Adams expressed when asked about the game. “I was proud of them with the way they fought back, but when you have to exert that much energy getting out of a hole that you dug yourself, it’s very difficult to keep that lead.”  

The Owls have four more games left on their schedule, as they head to Bethpage on February 1 to play the Golden Eagles. When asked about Wednesday’s game, Sherman-Murphy replied, “If we play our game and be relentless, we’ll put ourselves in a really good position to win.” 

Mingo added, “Coach Adams always says to ‘keep flying,’ which is a way of saying that if everything is going great or if it isn’t going how you want it to, you’ve got to keep going. Throughout the next few days, we’re going to work hard, watch film, and be ready for Bethpage.”