The Boys Basketball JV and Varsity teams came away with two important wins in league play on Friday during a Staff Appreciation Day where many Lynbrook staff came out and supported the Lynbrook Basketball teams. It was a true quad with all four teams playing the Homestead Mustangs.

In the JV game, the Vikes reversed the earlier loss in the season - a game marred by team absences, illness, and injuries. The team was left with only six eligible players by the end of the game and were wiped away but a much more confident Mustang Team. What a difference the lineup makes. In this afternoon's game, the Vikes took a first half lead of 34-23 and never looked back. Despite having ball handling problems int he backcourt, the Vikes limited Homestead's scoring in the first half, and fought off a 2nd half rally where Homestead had the score down to two possessions. The score got no closer than that, as the Vikes were able to score down the stretch and get the win 64-53.

in the Varsity game, the Vikes faced a game in which they desperately needed a win to stay in the hunt to be eligible for the playoffs. Having defeated Homestead earlier in the season, this game was seen as a must win. They were able to end a five-game losing streak by limiting Homestead threes until well into the 2nd half. Homestead also shot poorly from the charity stripe throughout, leading to a score of 22-22 right before halftime. But an ill-advised early shot with one possession left by Homestead led to Judah Marks running the entire floor with 8 seconds on the clock and making a layup. A Homestead player immediately grabbed the ball and fired it in, directly to Lynbrook guard Dean "D.O.C." Pakel who threw up a three-pointer with 0.4 seconds on the clock. The ball rattled in to stun the Mustangs, now down five at the half.

The Vikes had a small streak at the start of the 3rd, and never lost the lead in the second half. Three treys by the Mustangs late cut the lead to as few as four points, but Lynbrook kept responding and hit most of the free throws associated with a barrage of Homestead fouls as time began to run out. Final score, Vikings 66, Mustangs 55. The Vikes improve to 4-4 in league, while the Mustangs drop to 3-5. Lynbrook returns next week to take on Santa Clara in another must win game, followed by a home game against Fremont.