Bridgehampton's full-court pressure too much for Greenport boys

Jai Feaster likes playing on the road.

The opposing fans and atmosphere fuel him and the Bridgehampton boys basketball team on the court to play their best.

“When we came here, we like the opposite crowd,” Feaster said. “We like that aggressiveness. We play a lot better.”

Bridgehampton defeated Greenport, 58-44, in Suffolk VII on Wednesday at Greenport. Senior forward Mikhail Feaster led the team with 15 points. sophomore guard Alex Davis scored 13 points and sophomore guard Jai Feaster, Mikhail's brother, added 12 points.

Nelson Shedrick led Greenport with 16 points and Taiquan Brumsey scored 14 points.

The Killer Bees (9-5) played fast and brought constant full-court pressure from the moment Greenport (7-7) inbounded the ball. It stifled the Porters early on as they had numerous turnovers and missed shots.

The strong defense led to fast-paced offense which allowed Bridgehampton to jump out to an 18-4 lead after the first quarter. The Killer Bees set the tone for the rest of the game.

“I think our 1-2-2 trap just gave them fits,” coach Carl Johnson said. “They didn’t know if we were trapping or we were containing. So, we kind of confused them."

The two teams faced each other earlier this month at Bridgehampton in which Greenport won. The Porters threw double teams at Jai Feaster and Davis, forcing them to give up the ball quickly.

The Porters did that again this time, but the two guards were ready for it.

“We went through that, we’ve been used to it,” Feaster said. “Teams have been trying it on us. We’ve had time to adapt to it. We’re used to it now . . . (I was) calm. I was so relaxed. I would see the double team. I would wait and then pass it over.”

The Bridgehampton backcourt continuously found the openings over and through double teams which allowed teammates to get easy buckets. Adrian Molina scored 10 points and Evan Buccigross had eight points.

The lead reached as much as 20 points near the end of the first half and early third quarter. The Porters cut it to as few as 12 points in the fourth quarter.

Feaster said the team is known for its defensive efforts, and that was on display limiting the Porters to just 44 points.

The sophomore guard is looking to ride this momentum forward as the playoffs near.

“A lot, (this win means) a lot,” Feaster said. “They were the No. 1 seed. That messed with our souls a lot. So, (we’re) happy to beat them.”