Commack boys basketball's Jonny Ehlers helps upset North Babylon in Suffolk Class AAA quarterfinals

North Babylon’s boys basketball team had 0.5 seconds left to inbound the ball and get a shot off, trailing by two. Commack senior Daniel Onuogu stood in front, jumping and spreading his arms to prevent a pass toward the basket.

The pass came, and Onuogu tipped it with his left hand up in the air. As the buzzer sounded, junior Ryan Curcio ran by, waving his arms and screaming while the entire Cougars team stormed the court to celebrate one of the biggest upsets of the Long Island playoffs thus far.

FINAL: #7 Commack takes down #2 North Babylon, 54-52, in dramatic fashion as Daniel Onuogo rips away the inbound pass with 0.5 seconds left after a wild sequence gave North Babylon a final chance.

Story to come. What a game. pic.twitter.com/HUkhaWy2Md

— Michael Sicoli (@Michael__Sicoli) February 19, 2026

No. 7 Commack defeated host No. 2 North Babylon, 54-52, in the Suffolk Class AAA quarterfinal round Thursday. Senior Jonny Ehlers scored 10 of his game-high 22 points in the fourth quarter with three steals and a block to help the Cougars book a semifinal date at No. 3 Bay Shore on Feb. 26.

Commack lost its two previous meetings against North Babylon, including a 73-72 loss on Feb. 5.

“It meant so much to us,” Ehlers said. “The last time we played them, it was a really tough loss. We thought we should’ve had that game, so we were all really looking forward to this game. We knew we could beat them — we just had to execute — and we did.”

A fantastic defensive effort by senior guard Tyler Wilhelm, along with help from Ehlers and junior Jake Demato, helped Commack (13-8) hold North Babylon (17-4) to its fewest points of the season. With 7.5 seconds left, all three helped defend Suffolk’s leading scorer in senior Cameron Serrano, whose shot didn’t fall as he finished with a season-low 12 points.

Serrano’s shot doesn’t fall and Commack’s Jake Demarco dives for the rebound.

Timeout, Cougars, leading by 2 with just 3.8 seconds left. Wild. pic.twitter.com/V96rGdux0s

— Michael Sicoli (@Michael__Sicoli) February 19, 2026

“Cameron is a prolific scorer,” Commack coach Pete Smith said. “Knowing that, we tried to limit his touches … Ty did a wonderful job pushing him out further and further so he wasn’t able to attack from a decent spot on the floor. And when he got beat, he did a good job of recovering because we got good weak-side help.”

North Babylon, which carried a 14-game win streak into the playoffs, took a 42-40 lead into the fourth quarter. The score was tied at 47 with 3:58 left.

“We did it for the seniors,” said Curcio, who had 14 points and five assists. “It’s hard to play college basketball, so some of these kids might not play anymore … We had to do it for them.”

Junior Sean Lanier had 16 points for North Babylon. Serrano logged his 1,000th varsity point with a three-pointer in the third quarter. Inside the game’s final 40 seconds, senior Aidan Walsh forced a jump ball off the offensive glass and recorded a steal and twin Jake Walsh dove to secure a loose ball with 0.5 seconds left to give North Babylon a final chance.

“They’re resilient; they’re the best group of seniors I’ve had since I’ve been coaching,” North Babylon coach Rakeem Vanterpool said. “They work hard, they don’t give up and they showed that today.”