Teams competing for a county championship often load up their non-league schedules with quality opponents in order to best prepare for the playoffs. Two teams that both expect to be standing when the Nassau County playoffs are finished this year are Floral Park and Garden City. The local town rivals geared up for an exciting pre-season game on Friday, December 15 at Floral Park Memorial. Before a packed and energetic crowd, the two teams played a hard-fought game that went down to the final buzzer… or did it?

Basketball is often a game of many momentum swings, and this one was no different. The Knights and Trojans went back and forth for most of the first half until a late run by Garden City left Floral Park trailing by three points at the half. But the Knights quickly tied the game in the 3rd quarter. About four minutes into the second half, Garden City lost its leading scorer, Andrew DeSantis, to an injury while diving for a loose ball. The All-County football and basketball standout was not able to return to action as Floral Park’s signature pressure defense forced Garden City into poor shots and several turnovers. But Floral Park was not able to capitalize enough on offense as the team (averaging over 71 points a game) struggled to make shots, converting on only three 3-pointers for the game.

Trojans by 4. Knights by 2. Trojans by 1. Knights by 3. Tie Game. Knights by 2. Trojans by 1. Knights by 3. Trojans by 1. The seesaw matchup continued well into the fourth quarter. With the Trojans up 1 with under a minute to go, the Knights had to score. Senior Frank Phelan drove to the basket and drew the foul. He made both free throws, giving Floral Park a one point lead. With the gym rocking, Garden City had one final possession to score. Kevin McNiff drove to the basket but was blocked by junior Mike Matich. The ball was on the floor and madness ensued. The ball was knocked out of bounds and awarded (questionably) to Garden City with 3.3 seconds remaining. The Trojans shot a three off the inbounds pass, and seemingly floating forever, the ball did not reach the basket. James Cashwell picked up the ball and put it in the basket for a stunning Garden City victory, 49-48. But video evidence seems to indicate that the ball was still on his fingers as the clock read 0.00. The Knights had lost a heartbreaking non-league contest. But do not be surprised if these two teams meet again when the stakes will be much greater.