As expected, the Southampton-Pierson boys basketball game played at the Sag Harbor school’s gym last Thursday was a barnburner. The Mariners’ full-court press was suffocating, causing 30 or so turnovers during the 32 minutes of play, and still the Whalers managed to stay in it, almost to the very end.
The visitors, the first Class B team Pierson has faced in league competition, were up by only 2 points, at 50-48, with a little more than a minute and a half to play, but then Derek Reed, who orchestrates Southampton’s attack, hit a 3-pointer and moments later drew a foul from Wilson Bennett — his fifth — as he dashed for the hoop. Reed landed hard and lay on the floor for a bit before rising, and, despite loud stomping and shouting, coolly made both free throws, which put the Mariners up by 7 for the second time in the fourth quarter, a lead they were to extend to a 64-54 final in the last minute.
A 3-pointer by Dan Labrozzi — his fifth straight from long range spanning the third and fourth periods — that pulled Pierson to within 55-51 with 39.8 seconds left proved to be the Whalers’ last hurrah. Southampton was to go to the line five times thereafter, missing only one of 10.
Herm Lamison’s players, who made only 39 percent of their free throws in the Holiday Classic win over East Hampton, made 13 of 16 attempts from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter versus the Whalers, which, coupled with their fearsome turnover-causing defensive pressure throughout the game and LeBron Napier’s 17-point lights-out performance in the fourth period, during which he shot 5-for-6 from the floor and 6-for-8 from the line, earned them the win.
As a result, Southampton’s League VII record improved to 5-0, and Pierson’s dropped to 7-1.
On Saturday, it was a somewhat different story as the Whalers — in the absence of Bennett, who was using a crutch to get around — jumped out to a 32-20 halftime lead over the Southold Settlers and held on for a 51-47 win.
An 18-8 second quarter sparked Will Fujita’s team. Charlie Culver, who had 7 points and an assist during that span, Cecil Munshin, who scored 6 points, and Logan Hartstein, who drained a 3-pointer that put Pierson up 28-16 midway through the period, all got in on the action.
The visitors shaved 6 points off the Whalers’ lead in the third, a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Southold’s Calum Karsten enabling the North Fork team to pull to 41-35 going into the fourth. At the two-minute mark, Southold trailed by 5, and with about a minute and a half to play, Karsten, his head down, somehow made his way through two defenders to make it a 4-point game, at 51-47. There was to be a lot scrambling thereafter, but no more scoring.
Munshin finished with 18 points, Culver with 14, and Hartstein with 11. Karsten led Southold with 17.
Pierson had easily beaten Southold 54-29 earlier in the month. “We’ve got to play more consistently, and be grateful that we’re having the opportunity to play,” was all Fujita would say afterward. The extent of Bennett’s ankle injury had yet to be determined, he added.