Bayport-Blue Point boys lacrosse's Ben Morris tallies four goals, two assists in victory over Westhampton

Bayport-Blue Point’s Ben Morris is not one to shy away from a little contact.

The senior dodged numerous Westhampton defenders to the right of the goal before cutting right through the swinging sticks of the Hurricanes, slinging in his fourth goal to all but seal a Suffolk II win for the Phantoms at home Monday.

“We changed it up a little bit with a two-man call,” Morris said. “I saw an opening, went through that and was able to score, so it was pretty good.”

Morris added two assists as Bayport-Blue Point won, 9-6, over Westhampton. He also caused a turnover and won three faceoffs.

Junior midfielder/attacker Traigh Tomassone scored just 50 seconds into the game, setting the tone for a one-sided first half. Morris took advantage of a poor pass along Westhampton’s defensive zone, scooping up the ground ball before finding junior attacker Connor Curran for the easy finish.

Despite trailing 6-1 early in the third quarter, however, Westhampton showed some serious grit by scoring four unanswered goals to cut the lead to one. Heath Sumwalt, Finn Drake, Nolan Michalowski and Dante Mansfield scored second-half goals to give Westhampton a fighting chance. Charlie Beasley also made 13 saves, stopping several free looks on goal.

Still, good teams know how to finish games, and there’s no doubting that Bayport-Blue Point is just that. Curran — who finished with four assists — connected with senior midfielder Maclin Keyser twice in the fourth quarter, patiently waiting behind the net before hitting his teammate on the cut.

“He’s a great captain,” Curran said of Keyser, who scored three second-half goals. “He loves to get open, and I find him every single time.”

Morris’ diving shot all but took the air out of Westhampton, leading to a well-rounded team win as Bayport-Blue Point extended its record to 3-0.

“We’re absolutely not going to quit,” Morris said. “We’re going to finish to the last whistle.”

However, there wasn’t a sense of satisfaction. All three already have an eye on May, knowing that mistakes in March won’t be forgiven in May. It’s that hunger for more that led Bayport to a 14-win season in 2023, a feat the Phantoms will look to repeat this season.

“You always want to leave with a win, and that’s what we did,” Meehan said. “I thought we made the play to create some separation at the end, but there’s no doubt that we have to play a little bit faster, a little bit hotter.”