Sewanhaka boys basketball's Dante Anderson scores 25 points in streak-busting win over Elmont
Dante Anderson of Sewanhaka drives past Kayden Cyrus of Elmont during a boys basketball game at Sewanhaka High School in Floral Park on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026. Credit: Sam Johnston
The Sewanhaka boys basketball team's season ended with a playoff loss to Elmont in both February 2023 and February 2024. The Ravens hadn’t beaten the Spartans since Feb. 5, 2022, sitting 0-7 since — including a loss in December.
Sewanhaka senior Dante Anderson knew that. His older brother, Darius, was on those playoff teams. And, to paraphrase Michael Jordan, he took that personally.
“I’ve seen my friends who graduated lose their season to Elmont,” Anderson said. “I got to do it for somebody. I did it for us, I did it for them.”
The star senior exploded for 25 points — his third straight game with at least 20 — to lead Sewanhaka to a 47-35 win over Elmont in Nassau League V Tuesday night. He accounted for 19 of the team’s 25 points across the second and third quarters.
“If we’re going to lean on anybody, it’s going to be our seniors; it’s really important,” coach Jay Allen said. “He shows great poise and he’s always in attack mode, and that’s exactly what we need from him.”
Sophomore Nnamdi Amadike was all smiles after the game, bumping shoulders with senior Nehemy Fresnel after the final buzzer. Amadike had 12 points, 13 rebounds, two steals and five blocks, with six points and three blocks coming in the fourth quarter.
“I just jump high,” Amadike laughed.
“This kid works hard every day,” Anderson added. “First year on varsity, he doesn’t stop… block after block after block every single day. He’s one of the best defensive players in this county.”
Yet perhaps what left a bigger impression were the dunks Amadike made, pumping up a lively Sewanhaka (10-5) crowd. He also had a buzzer-beating putback to end the first half.
“You go up and you look at the rim,” Amadike said. “The rim is eye-to-eye and when you come down, you feel like you’re the best in the world. It’s the best feeling ever, I can’t even describe it.”
The Ravens held a 22-14 lead at halftime and never trailed after the second quarter despite some timely shooting from Elmont, courtesy of senior Jayden Johnson (13 points) and timely turnovers created by senior Kayden Cyrus (four steals).
Lengthy defenders Fresnel and Amadike made it difficult for Elmont to drive inside, with persistent defenders Anderson and sophomore Lance Williams manning the perimeter.
“I’m giving all my credit to those 15 guys in the locker room,” Allen said. “They did a hell of a job preparing, they worked really hard and they defended the hell out of this game.”
Sewanhaka was 4-4 entering January. Now it has won five straight with a 6-1 record this month.
“We’re fighting, we’re not just letting up no more,” Anderson said.
“New year, new Sewanhaka,” Amadike added.
Michael Sicoli covers high school sports for Newsday. He graduated from Quinnipiac in 2022 and left with a master’s degree in sports journalism in 2023.
