Port Washington boys hoops team has eyes on ending 78-year Nassau County title drought

These Vikings have weathered the storm for 78 years.The last time the Port Washington boys basketball team won it all in Nassau County was 1947.However, you don’t have to scan a lifetime to see impressive hoops at the high school, as the top-seeded Vikings are making their third straight trip to the AAA title game after losing the previous two to Baldwin.The Norse-named bunch will have its work cut out in Saturday’s championship when taking on a very tough second-seeded East Meadow juggernaut at Farmingdale State College.For head coach Sean Dooley, snapping the drought would be a “cool anecdote” and “add to the story,” but this finale is all about the recent unfinished business.“We’re just trying to get to that point where we’re the winning team,” he told The Post, adding his players don’t want to be known as the bunch who didn’t finally get over the proverbial hurdle.For a slew of seniors who have played varsity since sophomore year, coming so close the past two seasons has mentally felt like 78 years.“It would be nice to finally get it done now,” 12th-grade shooting guard Kenny Daly told The Post.“It’s so fresh in everybody’s head.”The 18-4 team is ready for whatever comes its way this weekend.

The stoked squad was revved during a Wednesday practice in which even players on the sideline were at a fever pitch as they rooted on teammates.Practicing and playing with fervor is something Dooley, Nassau’s AAA-2 coach of the year and 2023 New York state coach of the year, stresses big-time.“Energy is something that you can control,” senior point guard Kenny Reyes said.“It’s much more fun” to play the game with spirit, he added.Daly recalled a “slow start” against Chaminade during which Dooley called timeout to simply psych up the boys and snap the early funk.“We came out and dominated the rest of the game,” Daly said of the 66-46 victory.Dooley proudly says he “never has to ask for energy,” and team camaraderi...