Matt Robbert helps Centereach get its first victory
Centereach's Matt Robbert works the end line against Anthony DiSalvo of Newfield during the Suffolk League III boys basketball game in Centereach on Wednesday, January 2, 2019. Credit: Peter Frutkoff
The Centereach boys basketball team needed somebody to do something.
Matt Robbert obliged.
After missing a short look off the glass, Robbert grabbed his own rebound, drew contact and converted the tough layin. He made the ensuing free throw, and with 6:21 left in the game, the Cougars held a lead from which they wouldn’t look back.
Robbert had 16 points and 13 rebounds, leading host Centereach to a 50-45 win over in-district rival Newfield in a Suffolk III game on Wednesday night. Ryan DeCoursey added 14 points and seven assists.
“It was huge,” Robbert said of his game-changing moment. “When you get a big and-1 like that, the crowd’s into it. Then you hit the free throw, and it’s just momentum going forward.”
Robbert scored 10 of his 16 points in the second half of a game in which neither team could really take control.
Newfield (2-2) lead 35-30 after three quarters — sparked by consecutive three-pointers from each wing by Chandler Giovinco (12 points) that put the Wolverines ahead, 30-26. Colin Cassara closed the quarter with a three-pointer of his own from the right corner.
Centereach (1-3) began the fourth quarter with its only made three-pointer of the contest, a straightaway shot by Jay Idzinski (10 points). That kick-started a 9-0 run that included Robbert’s big play, giving the Cougars a 39-35 lead.
“We understand that there are ebbs and flows in the game, and they understand that if we’re playing hard, that’ll help counteract that,” Centereach coach Ed Miller said.
After Cassara made a pair of free throws for Newfield, the Cougars put together a 5-0 spurt capped by Stephen Cartolano’s two free throws with 3:39 remaining. Now trailing 44-37, Newfield didn’t wilt.
Cassara scored four straight points, the last two on a layup with 2:10 remaining, cutting the deficit to 46-43. He later made the score 48-45 on two free throws with 18 seconds left.
Centereach made four free throws (on eight attempts) in the last 1:07, though, to seal the win.
“I think it was just us wanting to get back on track,” Robbert said. “We were 1-6 [overall] coming in and we needed that first league win to get moving forward.”
Having lost three games this season by two points or fewer, DeCoursey said he was happy to earn a close win.
“We’ve been struggling a little bit, losing a lot of close games, one-point games,” he said. “We finally overcame it and got our first win.”
