Bay Shore boys basketball falls in state Class AAA regional final
Bay Shore head coach Gary Williams talks to players during a state Class AAA boys basketball regional final on Saturday, March 14, 2026, at Yorktown High School. Credit: /Kelly Marsh
YORKTOWN HEIGHTS — Brandon Burrell was hurting Bay Shore, filling up the basket for Mamaroneck like a D-I player. And at the other end, the Tigers from Westchester seemed to know what was coming from the Marauders.
And before you knew it, Burrell, a senior point guard and future Harvard man, had 11 points and Bay Shore was down by 17 late in the first quarter.
The Marauders never caught up in Saturday’s state Class AAA Southeast Regional final at Yorktown High.
Their sensational basketball season, one that included Suffolk and Long Island titles, came to an end with a 56-40 loss.
“Listen, we were playing with house money today,” Bay Shore coach Gary Williams said. “It was a great experience. It was a great run. … Nobody expected us to be here. Nobody. We were not ranked. We were in nobody’s top 10 poll. Through just sheer determination, getting better each day, we willed ourselves here.
“This is not a loss to us. It’s a victory for the program. We’re setting a precedent for the program moving forward.”
The Marauders finished at 20-5. Senior guard Corey Faines and senior forward Trey Blair had 14 points apiece and senior forward Niall Haughney added 12 points.
“I think we underestimated them a little bit,” the Nazareth-bound Faines said. “They did stuff that we hadn’t really seen yet on the Island. It’s a whole other game playing different sections.”
Burrell hit four threes and scored 22 points for the Tigers (20-3). They’re on to the final four in Binghamton after ruling in Section I for the first time.
“To get past that, first of all, was a great accomplishment,” Burrell said. “We know we’re capable of more than just that, so we want to keep going as long as possible.”
They led by 10, and then Burrell went on a run — pull-up jumper, short jumper, contested three.
It was 21-4 — four points in the first seven minutes.
“That coach [Tyrone Carver Jr.] did a really good job scouting us,” Haughney said. “Every play we called out, they knew.”
The 6-8 Haughney, a future D-I volleyball player at Merrimack, made a layup to cut it to 21-6 after one quarter. At halftime, it was 28-14. After three, it was 42-25.
Bay Shore got only as close as 11 on Faines’ three-point play with 3:24 left.
“We’re not disappointed at all,” Faines said. “I think our season was extremely successful.”
