Boys Got Good Looks, but 3-Pointers Rimmed Out
The East Hampton High School boys basketball team, which is, by the way, a pleasure to watch, sustained its first setback of the season here Tuesday night, losing 65-60 to St. John the Baptist, a nonleague opponent, but there was no shame in the loss. In fact, had the Bonackers shot their usual percentage from the 3-point arc, instead of going 1-for-13 from that distance in the second half, they would have won handily.
Credit the visitors' man-for-man defense to some degree, but the Bonackers, who move the ball swiftly and are terrific defensively, shifting between the traditional 1-3-1 zone and a match-up defense with man-for-man aspects, had good looks throughout the fray.
After the first quarter, it was 23-22 East Hampton, at the half it was 33-27 East Hampton, and after the third it was 46-45 East Hampton, setting up a climactic fourth, during which the Bonackers may have tired somewhat, though they remained fiercely competitive.
A rebound by Brandon Johnson (who had 12 that night, six of them offensive) followed by a layup by Kyle McKee pulled the home team to within 2, at 54-52, midway through the final period, but thereafter the Cougars managed to hold on.
Keanu Brewster, a junior guard, was subsequently called for traveling at the other end of the court, raising Bonac fans' hopes, but moments later Brandon Kennedy-Gay violated the five-second rule as he dribbled in place near midcourt, failing to move with the ball.
Johnson, East Hampton's all-around all-county football player, who is a force in the paint, then fouled the 6-foot-5-inch forward Jason Feliz as he tried for the second time to put the ball up, and Feliz made both free throws for 56-52.
East Hampton got the ball in to Regis O'Neil, who had 22 points in a 77-50 win at Miller Place last Thursday, but Brewster blocked him and Austin Torres converted on the subsequent fast break for a 6-point Cougar lead heading into the final three minutes.
Bill McKee, East Hampton's coach, called a timeout then to regroup, but things weren't to go his charges' way as the hard-fought game wound down.
When play resumed, O'Neil put back a McKee miss from 3-point range, and Jack Reese, the very confident and very quick sophomore point guard, hit a 3 from the left corner, having received the ball from Kennedy-Gay. It was 58-57.
A basket by Feliz upped the lead to 3, and a long contested 3 from the right corner by Brendan McGovern, after Kennedy-Gay had missed a 3-point attempt of his own, proved to be the game-winner.
In the final moments, Johnson made one of two free throws following a hard foul, and, assisted by Reese, made a basket for 63-60 with 42 seconds left.
Facing daunting pressure, the Cougars couldn't inbound the ball within the five-second time limit, thus turning it over. With the bleacher creatures chanting, "Let's go, Bonac! Let's go, Bonac!" Kennedy-Gay, the team leader in scoring, put up a 3, but missed. Johnson got the rebound and fed McKee, who, amid the fray, fumbled as Brewster drew a foul.
Brewster, with 19.8 seconds left, and with the bleacher creatures raising a din, made the first, which treated St. John the Baptist to a 64-60 lead, but missed the second.
McKee missed a 3-point attempt at the other end, and with 10 seconds left Feliz drew a foul and made the first for a 65-60 final.
"It was a great warm-up game for us -- all the teams we'll play in the league this season are going to do the same thing, play us man-for-man," McKee said afterward. "I knew St. John the Baptist was very tough, that's why I scheduled them. They shot well down the stretch. We didn't take bad shots, they just didn't go in. I'd usually figure us to shoot 6-for-13 from 3-point range, not 1-for-13. That's not us. Though their man-for-man may have worn us down a bit."
When it came to points scored, Kennedy-Gay had 16, McKee, 13, Reese, 12, O'Neil 10, and Johnson 9. McGovern had 15 and Feliz 14 for the visitors.
Earlier in the week, East Hampton won its league opener, as aforesaid, at Miller Place, with Kennedy-Gay leading the way with 28 points, 5 steals, and 4 assists. O'Neil, besides his aforementioned 22 points, had 10 rebounds as well. McKee had 10 and 10, and Johnson had 12 rebounds.
East Hampton defeated Center Moriches 63-50 Saturday. Kennedy-Gay had 24 points, 6 assists, and 4 steals in that one, and McKee had 15 points and 10 rebounds. Johnson, despite having to go up against taller opponents, had 12 rebounds, 6 blocks, and 4 steals.
Reese, a whirlwind of a player who continues to impress McKee with his poise and prowess, had 10 assists Tuesday night, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals.
East Hampton, whose record is 4-1 at the moment, is to play at Shoreham-Wading River Thursday evening, and will be at home against Bayport-Blue Point Saturday at 12:30 p.m.