Brentwood boys basketball rolling once again as Jordan Riley leads win over Ward Melville
Indians' Jordan Riley had 28 points, including four highlight-reel dunks. Credit: Daniel De Mato
The Brentwood boys basketball machine is humming again.
The Indians reached the state Class AA championship game for a second time in five years but again fell short last year. Despite the transfer of leading scorer Bryce Harris to a North Carolina prep school, this season’s edition looks capable of getting back.
Brentwood communicated that with an 82-64 road victory over a very good Ward Melville team on Friday to grab the upper hand in Suffolk AA-I. The Indians (4-0) may have weaknesses, but they weren’t apparent in this game as they lifted their overall record to 8-0. The Patriots (2-1) may have succeeded in matching Brentwood’s physicality but they couldn’t keep up with its speed, athleticism or depth.
“We have a lot of very good players on this team,” said junior swingman Jordan Riley, who scored 28 points and had four eye-popping dunks, including a roundhouse slam for a 21-14 lead at the first-quarter buzzer. “If it isn’t going to be one guy’s night, it will be someone else’s. Any of us could have the big game on any given night.”
“What we worked on since last season is making this more of a brotherhood,” said point guard Kenny Lazo, who had 12 points, nine assists and six rebounds. “As a result of that, we’re playing very unselfishly and making each other better . . . If we put in the work and keep this mindset, there is no reason we can’t go back.”
Junior forward Isaiah Randolph had 11 points and seven rebounds, guard Amari Isaacs had 10 points and 6-6 forward Alan Houston had 10 rebounds for the Indians.
Giancarlo Serratore had 20 points, Jack Holland 18 and Myles Brown 13 for Ward Melville (8-3 overall), which had lost two games by a total of two points entering Friday’s contest.
Ted Bliznakov made one of two free throws to give Ward Melville a 14-13 lead with 1:42 left in the first quarter. Brentwood responded with eight unanswered points, capped by Riley’s dunk at the buzzer. Ward Melville never got closer than 28-23 after that.
“They all shoot it and really share it,” Patriots coach Alex Piccirillo said of the Indians. “They also have a depth that is going to wear teams out. They have a bench full of guys who could lead them in scoring.”
Brentwood will get a real measuring stick game Saturday when it faces Boys & Girls High of Brooklyn, one of the city’s top public school programs, in the Shooting Stars Showcase at Long Island Lutheran.
“We are very proud of the depth on this team, but what might set it apart is the determination,” Brentwood coach Anthony Jimenez said. “I believe in this group because it will fight to the bitter end no matter what we’re up against.”
Roger Rubin returned to Newsday in 2018 to write about high schools, colleges and baseball following 20 years at the Daily News. A Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2011, he has covered 13 MLB postseasons and 14 NCAA Final Fours.
