Bryce Bland lifts Half Hollow Hills West in Suffolk Class A quarterfinals

Bryce Bland is a nuisance.

Every team could use a guy like Bland. The Half Hollow Hills West senior guard knows how to get under the skin of opponents on a basketball court. With his on-ball pressure defense and looking to create for others on offense, Bland is the type of player who has the innate ability to make winning plays.

“You can’t measure the presence of Bryce,” coach Steve Atkinson said. “What he does as far as his energy, his defense, he does things that aren’t on the statsheet. Now, his statsheet is great, too, with assists and steals, but his presence, you just can’t measure it.”

Bland had nine points, five rebounds, six assists and four steals as host No. 3 Half Hollow Hills West defeated No. 6 Hauppauge, 74-54, in the Suffolk Class A quarterfinals Wednesday. After Hauppauge led by two at halftime, Bland picked up his intensity even more in the second half and his teammates followed.

“Most of what I do is on the defensive side,” Bland said. “I like to always be the one on the ball. Not that I don’t trust my other teammates to do it, just that I like to be the one on the ball and causing the pressure.”

Half Hollow Hills West (18-3) outscored Hauppauge, 45-23, in the second half, including 25-11 in the third quarter. And Bland’s teammates credited him for much of the success.

“It’s amazing what he does,” said Zach Seltzer, who added 16 points. “His reflexes are amazing. He just carries the defense 100 percent and gives us all confidence that we are going to get the stop every time.”

Seltzer helped lead the offensive turnaround in the third quarter, scoring 10 of his 16 points in the period. With the Colts utilizing a balanced offensive attack, Chris Kuplen had 18 points -- all in the second half -- and Colby Jordan added 15 points, five rebounds and five assists.

“If you can have balance on offense, you are tough to defend,” Atkinson said. “And we are because we have scorers really at every position. If you take one away, you have another one.”

Macai John had 20 points for Hauppauge. The sophomore has been an integral part of a 10-win turnaround for the Eagles, which finished 12-10 overall.

Half Hollow Hills West plays at No. 2 Kings Park Wednesday in the semifinals, which means at least another week of practice. And for Seltzer, that means another week of going against Bland in workouts.

“That’s always tough,” Seltzer said. “You always try to stay away because he’s a fast kid and he really loves his defense. And that’s a tough player to play against.”