Bulls' Spinelli sinks winning jumper in Dellecave opener

When the shot left Alex Spinelli’s hands, Smithtown East coach Lou Gambeski knew it was good.

With the game on the line, Spinelli knocked down a 16-foot jumper from the top of the key that gave the Bulls’ a 65-63 home win over Comsewogue in the opening round of the Dellecave Invitational Tournament.

It was a Brian Willets tap out that gave Spinelli the opportunity to deliver in the clutch.
“I’m not really surprised he made the shot because he’s a senior captain and he was all alone,” Gambeski said of Spinelli, who finished with four points. “There was nobody on him.”

Sean MacGregor’s steal and subsequent layup tied it at 63 for the Warriors (1-1), which led 35-28 at the break. Gambeski credited Willets and Kevin Schroeder’s hard-nosed defense on Comsewogue’s Jack Campo that helped jump-start the second half comeback.
Gambeski also called Patrick Riccio’s 3-pointer at the buzzer to end the first half “gigantic” because it cut the Warriors lead to seven.

Riccio had three 3-pointers in each half to finish with 19 points. Campo led the Warriors with 20 points, while Ryan Ingarozza had a game-high 23 points for the Bulls (1-1), which outscored Comsewogue 24-11 in the third quarter to take a 52-46 lead into the fourth.
“Much to their credit, they came back and tied it,” Gambeski said. “It was a well-played high school game.”

Smithtown East will host Ward Melville in the championship game at 1 p.m. Saturday, following Longwood and Comsewogue’s consolation game at 11:15 a.m.

“Ward Melville is an up-and-coming team that is playing with a great deal of energy,” Gambeski said. “It’s not going to be an easy game for us.”