Jordan Riley, Brentwood slip past Deer Park and into Suffolk final
Brentwood's Jordan Riley goes up for a layup over Deer Park's Junius Johnson during the first half of a Suffolk Class AA semifinal at Longwood on Feb. 25, 2020. Credit: Daniel De Mato
Nearly beaten, but still the team to beat.
Top-seeded Brentwood may not have expected a big challenge from No. 4 Deer Park in Tuesday night’s Suffolk AA semifinals but found itself standing toe-to-toe in a slugfest. Star junior swingman Jordan Riley twice had to leave the game because of bleeding from a gash over his left eye. When he returned the second time, he made the high-impact baskets in what became a 71-63 comeback win at Longwood High.
Riley first left with 1:07 left in the second quarter after the wound bled when he took an elbow defending a drive by Deer Park senior star Malik Edmead. He returned for the second half but again had to leave because the wound reopened 27 seconds into the third. He returned to the bench with just under five minutes left in the third quarter and scored a three-point play and made a nifty inside move on consecutive Indians possessions to start an 8-0 run that put Brentwood ahead for good at 52-47.
“When I got back to the bench I wanted to get back in the game bad,” Riley said. “I don’t like to lose and I want to give all I can to make sure we win.”
Top-ranked University of Kansas top assistant Norm Roberts was on hand to evaluate Riley and got an eyeful. The 6-5 junior had 18 points, eight rebound, five blocked shots and three assists. Alan Houston, a 6-7 senior, added 18 points and 13 rebounds for the Indians.
“I think maybe we expected to roll over Deer Park because we beat them once already this season \[by 19 points\],” Houston said. “When we were behind it scared me a little. I’m a senior and we can’t lose here.”
Edmead was sensational in his final high school game, scoring 41 points and grabbing seven rebounds for Deer Park (13-10).
Top-seeded Brentwood (22-1) will be going for its 10th county title and fourth in seven years when it faces Northport (22-1) on Friday night in a matchup of the two dominant forces in Suffolk Class AA basketball.
Preston Edmead had a three-pointer and made three free throws on an ill-advised Indians foul in the last 24 seconds of the first quarter for a 14-13 lead. Malik Edmead erupted for 18 of his points in the second quarter as Deer Park moved out to its biggest lead, 38-29, on his two free throws with 1:07 left in the half.
But Amari Isaacs restored Brentwood’s momentum with a pair of three-pointers in the last 28 seconds of the quarter to make it 38-35 at the break. Houston said “those ignited all of us.”
Riley was in the locker room being tended to when those shots fell, but he felt their impact when the team arrived at halftime. “They were hyped,” he said. “It felt like winning time.”
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.
