Valley Stream North junior Tristan Mitchell prides himself on exactly what coach Michael McVeigh preached during the boys basketball team’s home game against North Shore Friday night: Defense.

Sure, Mitchell scored a game-high 20 points, 14 of which came in the second half. But it’s his four steals and 10 often-contested rebounds that makes him one of Nassau’s most dynamic two-way players as the Spartans pulled away to a 65-52 win over North Shore in non-league.

“It feels great after a rough loss on Wednesday against Roslyn,” Mitchell said. “We just came out, got back to practice and got our minds right to come back harder.”

Senior Vincent Rienzie looked unstoppable, gliding through traffic to finish with 17 points. Still, Valley Stream North only led by three at halftime

“We really fo

See Full Page