Alex Davis helps Bridgehampton rally to OT, beat Smithtown Christian
Bridgehampton may be penning another gripping chapter in its long, illustrious boys basketball history.
The Killer Bees needed an Alex Davis three-pointer with two seconds left in regulation to get to overtime against Smithtown Christian and then rode the adrenaline through a dominating extra period to post a 78-64 victory in the Suffolk County Class D championship game on Wednesday at St. Joseph’s Danzi Athletic Center.
Bridgehampton (16-5) is county champion for the 26th time and second year in a row, The Killer Bees will next play in the Suffolk Tournament of Champions against Class C champion Pierson on Tuesday at Southampton High. They also advance to a New York State Southeast Region semifinal to play the Section IX titlist on March 7 at SS Seward Institute.
While one might say the Bees made all the big plays in the late going, another could say they were fortunate to beat the Knights (12-10).
After Smithtown Christian’s Lorenzo Crilly made one of two free throws with 16.3 seconds to play the Knights held a 61-58 lead. And, following a timeout, the Bees had 13.3 seconds to go the length of the court for a game-tying basket while Smithtown Christian had four fouls to give. Nevertheless, Bridgehampton made it up the court for a Sae’vion Ward jumper, a Mikhail Feaster offensive rebound and the kick-out to Davis for the shot that sent the game to OT.
“Smithtown [Christian] gave us all we could handle but we bounced back late,” Davis said. “I thought they’d foul me, but I got the pass for a good look.”
Davis, a freshman, made 6 of 10 three-pointers en route to 27 points. Freshmen Jai Feaster and Ward finished with 19 and 16 points, respectively, for the Bees. Bees coach Rin White called his trio of freshmen “relentless warriors who won’t accept losing.”
Smithtown Christian took a quick lead in the overtime on a Nehemiah Yuen three-pointer, but it was all Bridgehampton after that as the Bees went for 17 unanswered points to close the game.
“The [Davis] three-pointer got all of us fired up because we’d made it to OT,” Ward said. “It brought out our best for the end of the game.
Crilly had 22 points and five assists and Isaiah McCarter added 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Knights. Smithtown Christian coach Dan Skaritka said he instructed his team to foul at the end of regulation but called the failure “one of the small mistakes we had that added up against us in an otherwise really good game we played.”
Asked about his team’s poise at the end, White replied “we went to states last year and lost, but we came back with a fire. You could see it in their eyes today. They’ve dealt with crowds and pressure. They’re ready.”
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.
