by Frank Caggino
Shoreham Wading River and Bayport-Blue Point boys’ basketball teams both had close games against East Hampton in their most recent games. Shoreham lost their game to East Hampton but were able to bounce back and win tonight’s close game against Bayport- Blue Point, 54-52. Shoreham’s coach Kevin Cullhane, was proud of his team being able to learn from their most recent loss and not let the same result happen twice.
The Shoreham Wildcats and Bayport Blue-Point Phantoms both got of to a quick start as through most of the first quarter, it was a one possession game. The Wildcats were trying to stay with the Phantoms’ Pierce Prendergast as he was going coast-to-coast in transition off Shoreham’s early misses. The Wildcats outside shots started to fall and was capped off by a Thomas Bell three pointer to give the Wildcats a 17-11 lead going into the second quarter.
The Phantoms were able to trim the lead by getting offensive rebounds by Zachary Silver and second chance points. Coach Cullhane was not pleased with the offensive rebounds that caused a six-point lead to become a two point lead. The wildcats were able to capitalize off of some Phantoms turnovers and led at the half 24-21.
Vincent Orlando hit a quick three pointer for the Phantoms in the second half and with another three after that, the Wildcats called for a timeout less than a minute into the third quarter. Out of the timeout, Shoreham answered with three pointers from Thomas Bell and Matt Cook to put them back in front. Phantoms’ coach Charlie Deck asked for time and wanted his team to switch all the pick and rolls, to prevent the Wildcats from getting open threes. The Wildcats defense tightened up and the team started running in transition, as point guard Thomas Bell found Tristan Costello for back-to-back layups. After the Wildcats were able to build a double digit lead, multiple blocks by Pendergast and a three pointer from Orlando cut the lead to seven at the end of the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, the Phantoms attacked the basket and were able to get to the free throw line and make it a three point game. Tristan Costello and Pierce Pendergast started to trade buckets and got the crowd fired up. Jack Baron tied the game for Bayport Blue-Point with a three and free throws from Pierce Prendergast gave the Phantoms the lead. Matt Cook hit the game-winning shot for the Wildcats on a layup and the Phantoms were not able to get a shot up at the end.
Tonight’s game for the Wildcats was very similar to their last game against East Hampton. In both games, Shoreham had the lead late and were not able to keep it. This time however, they were able to stay poised and win the game. When the lead is slipping away Wildcats’ coach Kevin Cullhane said he told his team to, “Forget the previous play and focus on the next play.” He also acknowledged that even though the team’s defense had a bit of a lapse, he credited their final few defensive possessions. Coach Cullhane was also proud of his whole team and pointed out that even if everyone does not play, they are still involved. The players that were on the court made it a point to share the ball and keep the team mentality, that ultimately led to the victory.
