Harborfields takes Suffolk A; Defends Title

The only thing more intense than a tornado is the pressure that Harborfields senior Matt McLeod could've been under for about 8 seconds.

Here he was, in the Suffolk Class 'A' championship game and he had just turned the rock over going coast to coast. Amityville scored off the turnover, tying the game with a minute left and Harborfields was fresh off of coughing up a 10 point lead. McLeod had already missed a number of easy shots earlier in the game; now wasn't the time to press his luck. Or was it? Instead of panicking or overanalyzing, McLeod just let it fly.

"I saw the [defender] was backing off of me and coach had been telling me to keep shooting," the 6'3 wing said. "I thought if I just let it go it'd go in."

McLeod's 180 degree reversal of fortune could've been missed if you simply took 10 seconds to check your phone, but his magical three pointer with 57 seconds helped lift the Harborfields Tornadoes over the Amityville Warriors, 67-62 at Farmingdale State College.

The game's wild finish didn't have an equal in its start. Amityville came out caffeinated, as junior guard Dejuhan Gray (who scored a team high 20 points for Amityville) drove the ball into the eye of the Tornadoes' defense seemingly at will. A 16-8 Warrior lead was their largest of the night though, as Harborfields charged back to end the first quarter; their primary battery was 6'6 big man Nick Fessenden.

The working class big man made a highlight reel in the paint. His 14 first half points were instrumental in a 13-2 Harborfields run that equaled their seizure of the lead and a 15 point swing in score.

"We knew coming in that we had to utilize our size advantage," said Fessenden, who scored a double-double with a team high 20 points and 14 rebounds. "I got the ball inside more than I usually do and we capitalized in the post."

Once Joe Savaglio's trey ball gave Harborfields the lead, they went up by as many as seven when PG Lucas Woodhouse fed Fessenden with a pretty dish for a 37-30 lead. Although Amityville never regained the lead, they never vanished. A handful of missed lay-ups prevented the Tornadoes from stretching their lead into double figures and the Warriors made it a 37-34 game at the half.

At the top of the third quarter, Amityville inched close enough to smell blood. Gray again drove the ball into Harborfields' defense to make it a 37-36 game; the Warriors weren't going to lie down.

"Amityville are really Warriors, they never go away," said Harborfields head coach Chris Agostino. "They're an incredible program, I wouldn't expect anything less."

Gray and senor backcourt mate Darien Croft kept slugging back via transition baskets and drives to keep Amityville in the game. The Warriors also began to crowd the feasting Fessenden, but the Tornadoes don't falter when the workhorse has two and three defenders draped on him.

"Our team has so many weapons that if you stop one of us, three others will step up," said McLeod, who finished with 16 points. "Pick your poison."

The poison was the pass first Woodhouse, who took control with a number of big buckets, all of which maintained Harborfields' seven point lead. After a Justin Ringen trey at the top of the fourth quarter, the crafty Woodhouse fed Fessenden with another slick pass to put the Tornadoes up ten, 59-49. But here comes Amityville - again.

Croft (who finished with 16 points) chipped into the Tornadoes lead and marksman Brian Kretz came off of the bench to can a three to make it a 61-59 game with 1:36 left. About 30 seconds later, all of Farmingdale State rose to its feet when Amityville's Willie White stripped McLeod for the game tying basket. But pressure is only felt by those who acknowledge it.

"I was telling Matt all night to shoot that jump shot," Coach Agostino said. "He was driving all game."

When Harborfields got the ball, McLeod didn't drive or hesitate; he drilled the big shot that pulled Harborfields away. But Woodhouse's clutch poise kept them away.

"We have to close out games," said Woodhouse, who scored 15 points and dished out a healthy number of assists. "I don't think it should've gotten that close, but [Amityville] made their runs, they came to play today."

The talented and pure PG went 3-4 from the stripe with the clock running out to make sure Harborfields defended their hardware.

The elephant in the room was the head coach opposite Coach Agostino, who just happened to be his brother, Amityville head coach Jack Agostino. But that's a mere footnote to the Agostino who won.

"I didn't beat my brother," the victorious brother said. "I beat Amityville."