Brentwood 63 Bellport 59 OT

Bellport comes into the game 1 red hot and slight favorites over the #7 seed Brentwood. The Indians upset #2 Bayshore to get here but have had a little bit of an up and down year. However all records are out the window as the Indians and Clippers look to make it to the AA championship game.

The Clippers were sticking to their game plan of giving the ball to 6’1” CG Samir Bell (Bellport ‘23) early and often. He was able to take guys off the dribble, hit mid-range shots and get to the line. Brentwood dug in defensively but couldn’t get much going on the other end as they trailed 13-8 after the first.

In the second the Indians got a boost from 6’4” SG Marquese Dennis (Brentwood ‘24) and 6’3” SF Freddie Diogene (Brentwood ’23). They started to clean up the glass, force Bell to take tough shots and were scoring themselves. Dennis had an acrobatic finish, Bell answered with a score but the Indians came down for an easy two. The teams battled back and forth but the Clippers got outworked in the second.

The Indians lead 21-20 going into the break and definitely seem to capture some momentum. Bell wasn’t giving in and was able to get loose from the defenders to score. Diogene had a nice putback, Bellport got a bucket and then Dennis knocked down a shot. Brentwood was fully focused on slowing down Bell and started to find a little more rhythm offensively.

Now 35-30 at the buzzer after a tough Dennis finish the Clippers needed a big fourth quarter if they wanted to advance. That’s exactly what they did capping off a 10-0 run with some nice Bell highlights. Brentwood needed to respond and they did absolutely crushing the offensive glass. They used their athleticism, length, wingspan and size advantage to grab everything.

During the next couple of possessions the Indians were able to tie it up at 48 with about 1:46 remaining. The Indians scored, got a stop, scored again but gave up a free throw to Bellport. Bellport down 53-49 got a basket to cut it to two as Brentwood looked to inbound the ball with 14 seconds left. Clippers tipped the pass and stole the ball but they panicked. They swung the ball around the horn, looked for Bell who was mobbed, almost turned it over when a Clipper got the ball and made it with no time left.

In overtime Bellport came out swinging with Bell but the Indians were just too strong. They grinded out offensive possessions with Diogene and Dennis finishing everything. Bell fought to try and make up the five point gap but couldn’t close it. Brentwood went to the line after Bellport’s last effort down 3 and was able to convert 1 free throw to seal it. This game was an absolute classic and Bellport should be applauded for their effort. Diogene had 17 points and 11 rebounds while Dennis added 15 and 14. Bell was the star of the game despite the loss, finishing with 33 points and 9 rebounds.

Commack 48 Smithtown West 43

The second game at Longwood High School featured #1 seed Smithtown West and #4 seed Commack who both have been mainstays in our Long Island Top Ten. While the Bulls still are without their top player they felt confident going into their matchup. Commack is looking to use their entire roster to get the job done and loves to share the ball.

In the first quarter and second quarter the shots were not falling for each team. The Bulls were able to get a couple of scores from 6’1” G Jack Melore (Smithtown West ’24) but still struggled. Their defense, communication and rebounding were terrific as usual, but the offense was not there. Commack knew they would have to take and make tough shots against West elite defense.

The Cougars were grinding and looking for anyone to give them a spark offensively. 6’1” PG Nick Waga (Commack ’24) was able to get some offense for them but it seemed like nothing was going in. West was able to create a small lead but only managed to be up 26-24 after two quarters of play.

In the third quarter both squads came out energetic and firing. Melore had a terrific inside finish, Waga drilled a shot and 6’5” F Ethan Meisel (Commack ’23) had an offensive putback. The defense for both teams were aggressive, tough and excellent.

Commack knocked off the Bulls for one of their only losses of the year and looked determined to do it again. The teams were neck and neck in the second half and into the fourth quarter as well. The Cougars were able to knock down a three, Melore scored, Waga answered then the Bulls finally hit a three.

The Cougars held onto to a slight 43-41 lead with just over two minutes to go. This game was truly anybody’s, we just needed someone to take it. Commack got up by 5 but then allowed the Bulls to score to cut it to 3 with about 23 seconds to go. Smithtown tried to get the ball but had to foul and the Cougars were able to make both. Bulls tried to score to cut the lead and foul again but they missed.

Commack won 48-43 beating the Bulls once again despite shooting only 37% from the field. The Cougars may not have stars, but they have a quality rotation where everyone chips in. Meisel had 12 points and 7 rebounds while Waga added 10, 7 and 4 assists. Melore lead all scorers with 15 points including some very tough finishes.

What’s Next

Saturday 2/25 7:30 PM

at Stony Brook University

#4 Commack vs #7 Brentwood