Bryce Wejuli does a little bit of everything for North Babylon in win over Ward Melville
North Babylon's Bryce Wejuli (22) moves the ball in the third quarter during the Suffolk High School boys basketball game between Ward Melville and North Babylon on Saturday Dec 30, 2023 North Babylon High School Credit: Bob Sorensen
Winning a tip-off, scoring two layups and throwing down a two-handed dunk is a great start for any player. North Babylon’s Bryce Wejuli did all of that in the first 60 seconds.
Wejuli scored 20 points and made four three-pointers to lead the Bulldogs past Ward Melville, 51-48, at home on Saturday in non-conference play. The 6-4 senior forward’s length was evident, providing North Babylon coach Rakeem Vanterpool with the team’s “X-factor.”
“His game has grown tremendously,” Vanterpool said. “I always tell him that he always has a mismatch on the floor, because he can finish inside but he can also step out and hit the three.”
A dominant first quarter set North Babylon up for success, as it outscored Ward Melville 20-8 in the first eight minutes.
“It felt really good, it really set the tone for the rest of the game,” Wejuli said. “... “If we play how we played today, we can easily be the best team in our league.”
However, the strong start for the home side didn’t last. Ward Melville outscored North Babylon in the following three quarters, 18-16, 15-11 and 7-4, bringing the game down to the final seconds. Ward Melville was called for traveling on its last possession. On the ensuing inbounds play, North Babylon's Daniel Blake-Watson caught a long pass up the floor and dunked the ball as time expired.
Lorenzo Beaton and Neelesh Raghurama scored 12 points apiece for Ward Melville (3-5).
The game epitomized a single word that rested on Vanterpool’s clipboard: “Attitude.” The word is also written on the board in the locker room as well, with the coach saying the word means “everything” when it comes to this team.
“When things aren’t going your way, you make a few turnovers or the other team goes on a run, how do you respond from there?” Vanterpool said. “Are you going to hang your head, or are you going to pick your teammate up and say, ‘Hey, let’s go. We’re here to win. Next play.’ ”
It’s a sentiment that showed in the hustle stats, with twins Jake and Aidan Walsh combining for three steals in the first three minutes. Kameron Quinn had eight points and four steals.
“That’s been our season right now,” Vanterpool said. “We get up and press, turn teams over, and that’s when we’re explosive offensively.”
It wasn’t perfect for North Babylon — evident by scoring 15 points in the second half after scoring 20 in the first quarter alone — and Ward Melville’s tough defense was a testament to that. But all that leads back to Vanterpool’s mantra of “attitude.”
“When you miss shots, as a kid they take it mentally,” Vanterpool said. “I always tell them, ‘Attitude. Next shot.’ If you miss it, you’ll probably make the next three.”
Michael Sicoli covers high school sports for Newsday. He graduated from Quinnipiac in 2022 and left with a master’s degree in sports journalism in 2023.
