Floral Park boys basketball's historic season ends in state Class A regional final
Floral Park's Brendan Martin takes a one-handed shot against Tappen Zee during a state Class A boys basketball regional final on Saturday, March 14, 2026, at Farmingdale State. Credit: Brittney Dietz
All good things must come to an end.
The Floral Park boys basketball team’s historic season came to a close in the state Class A Southeast Regional final, falling to Tappan Zee, 42-31, on Saturday afternoon at Farmingdale State.
Senior Brendan Martin led the Knights with eight points.
Less than a week ago, Floral Park earned the program's first Long Island championship. For coach Sean Boyle, the accomplishment of competing at the state level speaks volumes about his team’s talent.
“I’m proud of them for everything they’ve accomplished this year,” Boyle said. “The school has never won back-to-back county championships. We did that. The school has never won a Long Island championship. We did that. This one game isn’t going to define our season.”
The Knights averaged 71 points per game this season, with the regional final being the team’s lowest scoring game. Floral Park went on a 6-0 run midway through the second quarter to tie the score at 12 before Tappan Zee regained a lead it never relinquished.
Junior Collin Murphy said Tappan Zee's defensive intensity was a challenge, but it was one that his team embraced.
“We like to play fast and we like to get stops on the defensive end before we like to do anything offensively,” Murphy said. “We knew [Tappan Zee] would be a great defensive team and it showed. We weren’t shooting very well, so I knew the only thing that could keep us in this game was defense.”
Martin finished his high school career in his usual position: leading scorer. Averaging 20.9 points per game this season, Martin said it’s disappointing to fall short before punching a ticket to the state semifinals. But he's proud of his team for making Floral Park history.
“It means a lot to me to be here and have a chance to be on the big stage,” Martin said. “We’ve never been here before and I’m proud of myself and my team. I know it could have gone differently today, but we’ll be all right.”
Junior Ryan Terwilliger was the Knights’ second leading scorer, netting seven points and pulling down a game-high 13 rebounds. Senior Isaiah Leveille led Tappan Zee with 17 points.
Floral Park finished its season 22-3, the best overall record in Nassau. To Boyle, that says enough.
“For five-and-a-half months, these boys worked their tails off for a common goal,” Boyle said. “We tried to get it going on offense and we came up short, but this is a fantastic group of boys who accomplished so much in a season. I’m very proud of them.”
Tess Ferguson is a reporter on Newsday's high school sports staff. She joined the team after graduating with a journalism degree from Ithaca College in 2025.
