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Sports

Bulldogs Fall Short in First Round of Playoffs

Avery Feldman scores 18 points as Hewlett's season comes to a close.

Wait 'til next year.

Fourteenth-seeded Hewlett nearly pulled off a first-round upset of No. 3 Seaford, but in the end the up-and-coming Bulldogs came up a little short.   

Robert Goldstein scored a game-high 35 points to lead Seaford to a thrilling 49-43 victory over visiting Hewlett in the opening round of the Nassau County Class A playoffs. Goldstein went 8-for-9 from the free throw line in the final quarter to sew things up for Seaford. Hewlett was led by Avery Feldman’s 18 points. 

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With the win, the Vikings advanced to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 1998. Seaford (15-3) will host No. 6 Lawrence (15-3) in the quarterfinal round on Monday at 7:00 pm. Lawrence advanced with a 67-58 come-from-behind win over West Hempstead (see that story on Five Towns Patch soon). 

Hewlett head coach Bill Dubin felt one of the differences was not getting sophomore Weldon Irvine enough touches. “When your top scorer only shoots the ball six times in a game, we're not going to win many games,” Dubin said. “Weldon averages around 15 points per game. We needed to get him the ball more. With him only taking six shots, we certainly limited our chances of being successful on offense.” 

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Goldstein’s big evening started when he reached the 1,000-point milestone with his first bucket of the game. The senior guard scored nine points in the opening quarter as the Vikings opened up a 13-6 lead. 

Goldstein, whose scoring range begins when he walks in the gym, nailed a 3-pointer from 25 feet out to open up the second quarter. But the Vikings couldn’t shake the young Bulldogs. Thanks to solid inside play by Feldman and Irvine, Hewlett (7-9) kept things close. Seaford was up 21-15 at the break. 

Feldman had a terrific third quarter. Displaying outstanding touch from short range, the freshman forward scored six points in the quarter as the Bulldogs stayed within striking distance. The Vikings held a 31-25 lead as the teams took the floor for the final eight minutes. 

The teams went at it like prize fighters in the fourth quarter. Each time Seaford appeared set to put the game away, the Bulldogs would answer. A long three from Dylan Sasson cut Seaford’s lead to 41-38 with 1:59 to play, but Hewlett would get no closer. Irvine finished with 11 points. 

Goldstein’s final free throw of the game gave him 405 points for the season, which ties the program’s single-season scoring record. Seaford head coach Ralph Rossetti was extremely impressed with Goldstein’s performance. “Outstanding. He plays well all the time,” Rossetti said. “Now, he’s starting to play like a point guard. He gets everyone on the floor involved, and he scores. He’s just a great kid; the best we’ve ever had here.”

Dubin felt that giving Seaford extra chances was a back-breaker. “We probably gave up about 12 points on second shots,” Dubin said. “In a close game like this, you can’t give up second and third shots. It seemed like every time they got an offensive rebound, they’d kick it out and hit a 3-pointer. We’re going to grow as a team and get past this.”

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