Bonac boys basketball was the team to watch this winter. After starting 3-0 and winning the Kendall Madison Classic on Dec. 13, there was talk they could go undefeated this season. Then they dropped four straight, including both of their games in the Mariners Athletic Club Holiday Tournament at Southampton High School just a week later.
What went wrong?
In the Bonackers’ first loss, to West Islip on Dec. 16, the Lions clearly did their homework, watching tape and learning how to minimize Miles Menu, an East Hampton junior whose height and determination make him a menace around the hoop. An excellent rebounder with an effortless-looking slam dunk, Menu is one of the top scorers on the team. The tight 56-52 battle disappointed guard Toby Foster, who said East Hampton should have won, acknowledging that West Islip was all over Menu, having watched plenty of highlights.
The problems continued at the Southampton holiday tournament, where Bonac lost an even tighter game to Bridgehampton, 63-61, the team they’d beaten by 2 points a week earlier to win Kendall Madison. A tough 71-70 loss to Southampton followed. David Conlon, the head coach, said it was a lack of control, especially on defense. “We lacked poise in West Islip and in the Southampton tournament and that cost us.”
Just days before Christmas, East Hampton was blown out by Half Hollow Hills West — a basketball powerhouse that remains undefeated this season. Bonac lost 87-60 even though Foster led both teams in scoring with 26 points.
And then, something changed. Whether the team bottomed out or Coach Conlon reamed them out will stay in the locker room, but on Dec. 30, Bonac stopped the slide, beating Comsewogue 78-65. Menu was back, leading both teams in scoring with 24 points.
“We put pressure on them the entire game,” Conlon said. “A diamond press forced turnovers and easy transition points. Miles was able to get easy points at the end of a fast break.”
It was just one win, but an important one, and the boys knew it. At the East Hampton movie theater after the game, they were smiling and relaxed, looking like a bunch of teenagers who just had some fun on the basketball court. At 4-4, they no longer had a losing record and could take the second week of winter break off, ending 2025 on a high note.
“Whenever you can get a win on the road in this league, it’s huge,” Conlon said. “The more we can do that, the better.”
But they won’t spend too much time celebrating. There’s work to do in 2026.
“Our defense needs to get better,” Conlon said. “We are good at times, but need to sustain it for four quarters. We need to play with pace, make the defense work, get a good shot, and not settle. Those are a few things that need to improve as the season continues in 2026.”
