The FDR boys basketball team had Jan. 16th circled on their calendar for months. They were looking forward to hosting South Bronx for two distinct reasons – revenge from a lost scrimmage and to prove the Cougars, and not the Phoenix, is the best the ‘A’ division had to offer.
“We wanted to make a statement,” forward Eric Sandoval said. “Nobody was looking at us.”
FDR took advantage of the opportunity, dominating South Bronx early and late in the PSAL Class A boys basketball Showcase late Saturday afternoon in Brooklyn. The Cougars raced out to a 22-point lead in the first half and responded when the Phoenix made its big run, closing on a 12-0 spurt for a 76-58 victory in a showdown between undefeated division leaders.
“Now,” the 6-foot-4 Sandoval said, “we got a name.”
The story was the Brooklyn A South leaders’ frontcourt of Sandoval (21 points, 14 rebounds), Edon Gjonbalaj (29 points, 22 rebounds) and Valon Djombalic (16 rebounds). The troika owned the paint at both ends of the floor, virtually playing taps off the glass. Diminutive point guard Kenneth Casilla (11 assists) made sure the Cougars didn’t get caught up in South Bronx’s frenetic pace, handling the Phoenix press and spotting Sandoval and Gjonbalaj for layups and open jump shots.
Making FDR’s exploits that much more impressive is the Brooklyn school has been without shooting guard Nasr Alzindani, who averaged 14 points in five league games. He broke his left thumb in December and should return soon. Gjonbalaj, a 6-foot-2 wing, has emerged in his place, stepping into the starting lineup.
“He’s the MVP of our team, no doubt right now,” FDR coach Brendan Sullivan said. “He finds his spots on the floor better than any kid I’ve had here.”
Gjonbalaj didn’t even see minutes last year, spending the season on the bench. He credits his experience working with starting forward Josh Perez, an athletically gifted forward, in practice. When Alzindani went down with the thumb injury, Gjonbalaj took off.
“It was an opportunity to step up and show people what I am,” he said.
FDR (18-3) was in a similar position on Saturday – facing a fellow division leader that had yet to lose in league play. Led by star point guard Dashawn Joyner (23 points), South Bronx had received kudos as a possible city title contender.
South Bronx, however, had trouble matching FDR’s size, ball movement and poise. The Cougars led 40-18 late in the second quarter, running when the opportunity presented itself and executing in the halfcourt.
When the Phoenix made its run – as Sullivan told his team it would at halftime – the Cougars responded. South Bronx crept within five, 56-51, on a Terrynce Wilson 3-pointer, to close the third quarter. But FDR answered by getting back on defense in transition, working off their big men on the inside and taking care of the ball. Gjonbalaj scored three consecutive back-breaking hoops in the final minutes, as part of the 12-0 run to end it.
With the win, FDR can make a case for the top seed in the city playoffs if the season ended today. South Bronx is the only other ‘A’ school that has yet to drop a league game, and the Cougars handled them on Saturday.
“I think we deserve it,” Sullivan said, “at this point.”