High School Boys Basketball

BY RODERICK BOONE

With rival Hempstead in the house, it was the usual, electric atmosphere at Uniondale tonight. The two schools love playing each other and it's a rivary that transcends time.

Alumni from both sides always look forward to their two regular-season meetings, as do the longtime coaches.

"It's fun," Uniondale coach Tom Diana said. "I've coached here now for 13 years. I'm getting old. And if you don't enjoy Uniondale-Hempstead rivalry ... To me it's one of the biggest rivalries in New York state. There's nothing better on the schedule and coach (Ted) Adams has accomplished so much with that program. Their tradition, our tradition. These programs are really, really deep in success and tradition and players going onto higher levels and all that kind of stuff. To me, there is no more exciting night in basketball."

Raenard Reid made sure it was a memorable one for Uniondale. He was a beast inside, tossing in a game-high 20 points and grabbing 15 points. Hempstead's Terrell Williams flexed his skills as well, scoring 18 points.

Hempstead is chock full of young players and Adams believes the experience of playing in such a tough, hostile environment is only going to aid the Tigers in the long run.

"It does nothing but help us," Adams said. "It's almost like being in school and when they say you are administered an assesment. I don't necessarily want to see a score. What I want to see is the growth. And that's what I'm looking for. I'm looking for that growth factor. They are growing game-by-game."

Uniondale will get the chance to see just how much the Tigers will have grown in another few weeks. The two teams meet Feb. 6 on Hempstead's turf and you know the Tigers are going to have revenge on their minds.

Hey, that's what this rivalry is all about.