Carle Place boys basketball's Ryan Leary completes four-point play to send Frogs to state semifinals

In what has been a career full of big shots, Carle Place senior guard Ryan Leary saved his biggest one for the end of Saturday’s state Class B regional final at Farmingdale State College.

Leary knocked down a gutsy three-pointer through a foul with 4.4 seconds remaining and hit the ensuing free throw to give the Frogs a one-point lead over Woodlands of Section I. On the next play, Falcons senior forward Noah Cherubin drove down the middle lane to attempt a game-winning layup, but Carle Place sophomore center Chris Gaulrapp swatted it away to secure the 54-53 boys basketball victory.

Quite the finish in the NYSPHSAA Class B boys basketball regional final at Farmingdale State College:
Carle Place’s Ryan Leary converts a four-point play with 4.4 seconds to take the lead, and Chris Gaulrapp gets the heroic block at the buzzer to seal it. @NewsdayHSsports pic.twitter.com/PFWCOTw1Hx

— Mike Anderson (@MikeAnderson_15) March 14, 2026

“It was like a movie scene,” Leary said. “It took a while for me to shoot the free throw, so I was sitting there with my thoughts for about two minutes. I was numb, and I locked myself back in and just told myself I have to hit this free throw, I have to hit this.”

Carle Place tried feeding Leary the ball on the right wing off an inbounds play, but the Falcons double-teamed him. With nobody else open, senior forward Joey Buffolino inbounded the ball in the lane to eighth-grade guard Caden Saccone, who attempted to drive before kicking it back out to Leary.

From the left wing, Leary took a contested three-pointer while being crashed into from behind by Woodlands guard Aaron Woodberry. The collision waylaid Leary’s left arm, giving him nothing to stabilize his shot with. Ever the ice-cold shooter, his shot hit nothing but net, setting up the go-ahead free throw that gave him 39 points.

Leary’s four-point play and Gaulrapp’s game-saving fifth block of the day sent the Carle Place faithful into bedlam and the team back to the state semifinals.

“The coaches told me, ‘Go down there and stay down there, and if they try to get a layup, block it,’” Gaulrapp said. “When he came down the middle, I thought it was a routine block. I saw my teammate jumping, and I just heard the stands erupt. It was a pretty amazing experience.”

Leary carried his squad, adding 13 rebounds, three assists, four steals and a block. He made his presence felt early and often, scoring 14 in the first quarter and 24 in the first half.

“I never thought this was going to be my last game,” Leary said. “The goal is a state championship, and that’s still in play.”

Junior forward Mario D’Alessandro contributed eight points and six rebounds.

Thanks to their late-game heroics, the Frogs (18-6) face Kipp Capital of Section II at 4:15 p.m. Thursday at Binghamton University in the state Class B semifinals. Woodlands finished 22-3.

“Sweet revenge,” Leary said. “Woodlands is a heck of a team — one of the best in the state. People were sleeping on the Frogs, but to be able to knock them off, you can’t really sleep on us anymore.”