HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL PREVIEW / Wide-Open Race in `A’:
By Gary Glancy. STAFF WRITER. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 15 Dec 1996:
The race in Suffolk Class A boys basketball is wide open in this, the year of the shot clock, with North Babylon as a slight favorite to win it all. But if the Bulldogs aren’t the best A team around, they may at least be the most exciting.
“We should be fast and quick and press you and make you do things to take you out of your game,” coach Jack Loth said. “The 45-second shot clock won’t affect us at all, that’s for sure.”
It all starts with the best backcourt in Suffolk. All-County 5-10 senior guard Kendall Hines averaged 17 points per game last season for the Bulldogs (12-7) and was Suffolk’s co-leader in three-pointers with 60. Sophomore Barry Baker is a 6-1 All-League guard who averaged 14 points and 8 rebounds and can leap tall centers in a single bound. Seniors Wes Hendricks, Jared Rivers and 6-5 center John Cuttino return on the front line.
“We’ve been to the semis two years in a row {losing to eventual champions Northport and Sachem, respectively}, and we’d like to go further this time,” Loth said.
Northport (11-8) is a legitimate roadblock for North Babylon. The Tigers came on strong late last season, only to lose to Sachem in the county quarterfinals. They return 6-10, 240-pound center Rob Marquardt (11 points, 9 rebounds, 3 blocks), forwards Ryan Neems (12 points) and Dave Trani (10) and guard Chris DiBlasi, who takes over at the point for All-County graduate Chris Wiebke. “We are really excited about this group,” coach George Franck said. And the shot clock? “It’s a long time, 45 seconds. I don’t think it’s going to be a big factor.”
Defending champion Sachem (20-3) will be a big factor with one of Suffolk’s best, 6-6 All-County senior forward Jeremiah Schlie (20 points), the county Class A MVP and only returning starter. Glenn Koelbl joins Schlie on the front line and Bobby Hamel and Jesse Bednarek are the guards. Floyd (10-9), Longwood (8-10) and Smithtown (13-6) should challenge Sachem in League I.
Northport will have a tough time in a balanced League II, with Central Islip (7-11), Lindenhurst (11-8) and Centereach (10-8) expected to challenge. County semifinalist Commack (15-5) graduated Suffolk’s second-leading scorer, Brett Orzechowski (30).
Frankie Aikens had 24 points to lead Floyd past Longwood, 79-52. Rex Hodgson added 15 points. Brian Babst had eight points and eight assists. Floyd began the second quarter on a 13-2 run to take a 30-14 lead. Longwood 12 11 7 12 52 Floyd 17 21 22 19 79 L: Boyd 4-0-8, Leath 2-0-5, Smith 1-0-2, Watkins 4-1-9, Reany 2-0-4, Rogers 3-0-7, Kirchner 1-0-2, Powell 2-0-4, Holtmann 1-0-2, Robles 1-2-4, Alexander 1-1-3, Sloan 1-0-2. Totals: 23-4-52. F: Hodgson 4-6-15, Babst 4-0-8, Sinclair 2-2-6, Aikens 9-6-24, Joyner, 4-4-13, Yeung 2-1-5, Lovelace 2-2-6, Maurer 1-0-2. Totals: 28-21-79. Three-point goals: L 2 (Leath, Rogers); F 2 (Hodgson, Joyner). Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 21 Dec 1996:
Darnett Thompson had 20 points, 17 rebounds and 5 blocks to lead Central Islip to a 74-70 win over Longwood. Kyle Holdip scored nine of his 23 points in the third quarter as Central Islip took a 54-51 lead. Dec. 31
Ace Boyd scored eight points, six coming on two three-pointers, as Longwood outscored East Hampton 19-9 in the third quarter en route to a 74-56 win. Boyd finished with 17 points. East Hampton’s Nick Letcher had a game-high 19 points and added 11 rebounds and Kyle Russell had 16 points. Jan. 5
Brentwood 24 16 16 23 79 Longwood 13 13 20 23 69 B: Oliver 4-4-12, Terrero 4-0-8, King 5-6-17, Blocker 2-4-8, Booker 0-1-1, Rodriguez 6-7-19, Simmons 5-0-10, Henry 1-2-4. Totals: 27-24-79. L: Boyd 4-1-10, Leath 4-4-12, Smith 4-1-9, Watkins 3-3-9, Reany 1-0-2, Sloan 3-0-6, Rogers 6-0-14. Totals: 28-10-69. Three-point goals: B 1 (King); L 3 (Rogers 2, Boyd). Jan. 9
Rocky Smith (7), Acey Boyd (6) and Dyrell Rogers (5) totaled 18 points in the second quarter as Longwood took a 47-28 halftime lead in the Lions’ 79-65 win over Connetquot. Rogers scored a game-high 25 points for Longwood (1-3). Boyd had nine points and eight steals. Adam Feire led Connetquot (1-3) with 15 points. Jan. 11
K’ai Watkins led Longwood with 13 points, including eight of his team’s 16 in the first quarter, and added seven assists in the Lions’ 74-59 win over Sachem. Rocky Smith had 15 points and seven rebounds and Dyrell Rogers added 14 points for Longwood (2-3). Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 18 Jan 1997:
Longwood 13 26 12 12 63 Smithtown 17 25 28 22 92 L: Boyd 3-0-8, Smith 8-0-17, Watkins 7-1-16, Rogers 4-2-12, Hayward 2-0-4, Kirchner 2-0-4, Robles 1-0-2. Totals: 27-3-63. S: Buonotuno 7-1-20, Cohen 0-4-4, Emma 3-0-8, Jones 0-1-1, Lesch 9-9-27, O’Reilly 10-4-24, Tartamella 2-2-6, Wenzel 1-0-2. Totals: 32-21-92. Three-point goals: L 6 (Boyd 2, Rogers 2, Smith, Watkins); S 7 (Buonotuno 5, Emma 2).Chris Lesch scored a game-high 27 points, Patrick O’Reilly added 24 points and 11 rebounds and James Buonotuno had 20 points and 10 assists as Smithtown (4-2) defeated Longwood, 92-63. Rocky Smith led Longwood (2-4) with 17 points.Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 22 Jan 1997
A.C. Boyd hit three-pointers on back-to-back possessions to put Longwood (3-4) ahead to stay, 53-50, with a minute to play in the Lions’ 56-53 win over Patchogue-Medford. Derric Rossy had 21 points and 10 rebounds for Patchogue (2-5). Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 25 Jan 1997
Jamel Joyner (16) and Rich Sinclair totaled 31 points as Floyd (8-0) beat Longwood, 74-45. Sophomore K’ai Watkins had 19 points for Longwood (3-5). Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 30 Jan 1997:
K’ai Watkins scored eight of his game-high 29 points in the fourth quarter as Longwood turned a two-point deficit into a 68-60 win over Brentwood. Rocky Smith added 15 points for Longwood (3-5). Shamel Simmons led Brentwood (5-3) with 16 points. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 02 Feb 1997:
An Emotional Win for Longwood:
Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 12 Feb 1997
At the beginning of the 1996-97 basketball season, Longwood forward Mark Leath said he wanted to make the playoffs.
Although that chance was taken from him when Leath died last week after being stabbed, his teammates haven’t forgotten him. Kyle Watkins hit two free throws with 45 seconds left to give Longwood a 65-62 win over Sachem in a League I game yesterday. Longwood (5-6) needs to beat Smithtown tomorrow to earn a playoff berth.
“We dedicated the rest of the season to Mark,” said Longwood coach Dennis Terry. “He is with God now, but I know he is with us in spirit. We have a lot of faith and it will be special if we can do it in his honor with him watching over us.”
With 3:12 remaining, Dyrell Rogers had a four-point play – making a layup and stealing an inbounds pass that led to another layup – to break a tie at 58 to give Longwood a 62-58 lead. Jerry Schlie (10 points) missed a three-pointer as time expired for Sachem (7-5). Watkins had 21 points for Longwood. Jesse Bednarik had 24 for the Flaming Arrows.
Connetquot led to 42-27 at halftime but Longwood (4-6) trimmed the deficit to 59-55 early in the fourth. Connetquot responded with a 9-2 run to pull away. B.J. LaMura, who scored nine of his 19 points in the final period, had six points during the run and Greg Plante hit three straight foul shots. The T-Birds were 17 of 24 from the line in the fourth quarter. Dyrell Rogers led Longwood with 20 points and Acey Boyd scored 10 of his 19 in the fourth quarter.
LEAGUE I Longwood 9 18 26 23 76 Connetquot 21 21 16 27 85 L: Boyd 7-4-19, [Julian] Smith 4-0-8, Watkins 3-6-13, Rogers 7-2-20, Reany 2-2-6, Hayward 1-0-2, Powell 1-0-2, Hoffman 1-0-2, Alexander 2-0-4. Totals: 28-14-76. C: LaMura 8-3-19, Plante 5-4-15, Redican 2-0-4, MacGowan 2-2-6, Donnello 1-0-2, Nadeau 1-2-4, [Adam] Feire 6-8-20, Fischer 1-6-8, Weadock 2-3-7. Totals: 28-28-85. Three-point goals: L 6 (Rogers 4, Boyd, Watkins); C 1 (Plante). Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 11 Feb 1997:
