New Smyrna Beach, Mainland duos make winning plays in Five Star semifinals | Hoops notebook
ORANGE CITY — As the final buzzer sounded Wednesday, Josh Reik ran toward one of the baskets at University High School and jumped. He slapped his right hand on the rim in celebration.
“The adrenaline makes me feel bouncy,” he said with a laugh.
He and his New Smyrna Beach Barracudas have experienced a lot of it so far during the Five Star Conference Tournament.
In the first round Saturday, they survived No. 6 DeLand, with Reik hitting a game-winning midrange jump shot to snap a 53-53 tie in the final seconds. In the semifinals against No. 2 Deltona, the third-seeded Barracudas held the lead for the entire fourth quarter, but the 62-59 victory didn’t come without tension.
New Smyrna Beach sprinted ahead by as many as 16 points in the period before the Wolves started raining 3-pointers in the final 3:30 to raise blood pressure in the gym. Deltona senior Anthony Proenza posted 19 points while sophomore Jaheem Curry contributed 15.
But again, Reik, along with fellow senior Lukas Parschauer, helped the Barracudas weather the storm.
That’s by design.
“The whole year, our strength is team by committee,” New Smyrna Beach coach Zach Camporese said. “But when it gets down to the clutch, we want our seniors, Josh and Lukas, to lead for us.”
For the second straight game, Reik set a new season-high point total. He poured in 21 points against DeLand and ended up with 23 against Deltona. Eleven of those 23 happened after the Wolves grabbed a 32-31 lead at the 3:48 mark of the third quarter. Reik recorded a team-best nine points in the fourth quarter.
Parschauer partnered with Reik to help the Barracudas avoid a collapse.
After a quiet first three quarters (two points), New Smyrna Beach’s top scorer this season turned it on with seven points in the fourth. He entered the day at 14.8 points per game.
Overall, Reik and Parschauer combined for 16 of the Barracudas’ 24 points in the final period. That proved just enough to hang on, as Deltona scored 26.
“They listen to what you tell them,” Camporese said. “They never get down on themselves, and they’re always on to the next play. They’re never looking at the past. When you have the ability to do all that, and as a coach, you tell them what you need to get done, they’ll make sure they execute it.”
During the 53-53 tie Saturday, Camporese didn’t draw up a specific play to free Reik for his go-ahead shot. He simply told him to make something happen.
Camporese said the Barracudas relied on two other guys — Connor McCardel and Cole Dennison — to do that last season. But when they graduated, Parschauer and Reik, a transfer from Spruce Creek, stepped up. Wednesday, junior Ray Knight also added 14 points.
“I have all my faith and everything in them,” Camporese said.
HIGH SCHOOL HOOPS: A look at Volusia-Flagler boys basketball statistics through Jan. 22
Mainland’s Nathan Kirk, Narayan Thomas can flip game quickly
Nathan Kirk can just flash Narayan Thomas a look. And vice versa.
The two built an on-court connection that dates back to elementary school. That only grew when Kirk joined Thomas on the Mainland Buccaneers’ varsity team last year and they made a run to the 5A state finals together.
Now, they don’t even need words to decipher what the other is thinking.
“We just know, in that moment, to get the ball in our hands and make the best play for the team,” said Kirk, a sophomore.
They did that in the Bucs’ 77-52 victory over Atlantic in the Five Star Conference Tournament semifinals Wednesday.
The fifth-seeded Sharks battled, shaking off a 14-point first-quarter hole to control the second quarter and pull within five points multiple times late in the first half. That’s when Kirk and Thomas went to work.
Thomas, a senior, closed out the second quarter with the last three points, giving No. 1 Mainland a 37-29 lead at halftime. Then, the duo opened the third quarter with the Bucs’ first six points.
Mainland’s advantage swelled to 12, then to 14. By the end of the third quarter, it rested at 18. The fourth quarter stayed stress-free.
Kirk dropped a game-high 25 points, including 12 after intermission, and 11 rebounds. Half of Thomas’ 20 points came in the third and fourth quarters. He also completed a double-double with 10 boards.
“They’re proven,” coach Joe Giddens said. “So I put the ball in their hands, and I run a set for them to get the ball. Any good coach knows, if something’s not going right, find the person who will go make a play. As a coach, it’s good to have guys like that, who love being in the moment and making plays.”
Kirk and Thomas fit the description. They have all season for the 15-5 Bucs. Kirk averages 17 points per game. Thomas, 14.2.
Junior Seven Simmons was the only other Mainland scorer to finish in double figures (12 points) Wednesday.
Senior AJ Johnson also had 12 to pace Atlantic.
Girls semifinals results
No. 1 Spruce Creek beat No. 5 New Smyrna Beach 66-43
No. 2 Mainland beat No. 3 Deltona 66-33
HIGH SCHOOL HOOPS: A look at Volusia-Flagler girls basketball statistics through Jan. 22
Five Star Conference finals schedule
Girls: No. 1 Spruce Creek (15-6) vs. No. 2 Mainland (8-11) — 5:30 p.m. Friday at Atlantic High School
Boys: No. 1 Mainland (15-5) vs. No. 3 New Smyrna Beach (16-4) — 7 p.m. Friday at Atlantic High School
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: High school basketball: NSB, Mainland advance to Five Star boys finals
