Copiague boys basketball's Martely Lemoine's two-way play too much for West Islip
Martely Lemoine of Copiague dribbles during a Suffolk boys basketball game against West Islip in Copiague on Tuesday. Credit: Peter Frutkoff
Martely Lemoine makes his presence known with his two-way ability, by getting downhill, knocking down open shots and forcing turnovers for the Copiague boys basketball team.
“I wanted to set the tone with that intensity because we know what we have to do as a team,” Lemoine said. “We’re all about hard work. That’s our mindset, that’s our goal, and I want that to be known every time we step on the floor.”
And he got the job done.
The 6-3 small forward scored 20 points, including three three-pointers, for Copiague Tuesday afternoon in a 54-37 victory against West Islip in a non-league matchup.
“He has been our steady force on both sides of the ball,” coach Steve Rebholz said. “I think I might’ve said this out loud, but I said, ‘He’s a one-man wrecking crew right now.’ He has a really high IQ for the game.”
Lemoine started the game off strong, scoring 15 of his 20 points in the first half. On defense, he was forcing double-teams and making the proper rotations to slow down West Islip’s offense.
He went on a 7-0 run by himself late in the second quarter to prevent West Islip from erasing Copiague’s lead.
“I like to predicate my game on defense first and offense second,” the senior said. “People may not like it, but defense will always lead to easier offense, so I like to put my stamp on defense first.”
Rebholz knew the rest of the Eagles could have given more effort on defense, so during halftime he addressed the team with a speech that provided the spark needed.
“Our defense normally has more bite to it,” Rebholz said. “We came out a little slow. I made it known to them that we have to be more active and be more aggressive on defense.”
The Eagles (6-1) were tenacious in their man-to-man defense, allowing only one field goal and recording 12 rebounds and five steals in the third quarter. They finished the game with 28 rebounds and 14 steals.
“That halftime speech was such a game changer for us,” said senior guard King Moore, who had 14 points. “Coach had to get it in our heads that the game’s not over and have to continue to play strong like we usually do.”
Conor Kenefick scored eight points and Chase Busking scored six points for West Islip (4-4).
Rebholz praised West Islip’s coaching staff for their well-disciplined approach.
“West Islip did some nice things out there,” Rebholz said. “They were able to split our traps and get easy baskets. They are always well coached and well disciplined.”
Jonathan Ruban covers high school sports for Newsday after graduating from St. John’s.
