Gaine nets 6 in Bay Shore's victory

Brendan Gaine wants to be a Navy SEAL. But when it came to taking shots on goal, the Bay Shore senior was a little gun-shy. "He's very talented but very humble," Bay Shore coach Tim Cox said. "I had to tell him, 'Brendan, go to the goal. It's OK.' "

Gaine, who was recruited to play lacrosse at Navy beginning next year, no longer is a reluctant shooter. He matched his career high with six goals and Cox's son, Kevin, scored five as Bay Shore (9-5) -- which scored 11 second-half goals -- earned a 17-11 victory over visiting North Babylon and wrapped up the No. 6 seed for the Class A playoffs, which begin Thursday. The Bulldogs also finished 9-5 and received the 12th and final seed.

"Lately, Brendan's been on a tear. He's been getting after it," Tim Cox said. Gaine has 28 goals in the last seven games after scoring only 12 in the first nine.

"For a while, I used to worry about being a ball hog," Gaine said. "This year, I realized I'm a captain. I'm a senior. If not me, then who?"

That's the perfect attitude for Gaine to take to Annapolis, where he plans to become involved in the special warfare community on campus, what he called "a gateway to getting into the SEALs."

Kevin Cox, Bay Shore's other sniper, has never needed his father -- or any other coach -- to tell him to shoot. "He never met a shot he didn't like," Tim Cox joked.

There were a lot of likable shots in the second half for Bay Shore, which trailed 7-6 at halftime but eventually wore down undermanned North Babylon, which had only 16 players. Gaine scored three and Cox two in the third quarter, with Gaine's solo dodge and finish from behind the net putting the Marauders ahead to stay at 11-10 with 11.5 seconds left.

SEE PHOTOSBay Shore 17, North Babylon 11

Bay Shore broke it open with four straight goals in less than four minutes to start the fourth quarter. North Babylon's only goal in the final period was Connor Slane's fifth of the game. His brother Ryan, the third-leading scorer on Long Island with 79 points, was held to one assist thanks to solid lock-him-up defense by Charley Gargano.

But Monday was mostly about Bay Shore's offense, particularly its pair of top guns. "I've always been a stand-still shooter," said Kevin Cox, who'll play for Manhattan College next year. "I guess that's my thing. I've just had to learn to know when to shoot and where."

That's something Gaine plans to keep on learning.