Smith scores 22 to lift Copiague over CI in playoff opener

Who says you can't learn anything from watching TV?

Copiague senior Nasha Smith said remembering the way his favorite player, LeBron James, calmly hit a free throw to tie the game late in overtime on Thursday night kept him relaxed at the end of Friday's Suffolk Class AA playoff opener.

"If he can hit his free throws with thousands of fans watching him I can make them with my friends and family watching," said Smith, who hit 10 consecutive free throws late in the fourth quarter.

LeBron's Cleveland Cavaliers fell short Thursday against Denver, but Smith finished with 22 points and his free throws helped No. 9 Copiague to a 63-46 victory over host Central Islip, the eighth seed.

"It feels good," Smith said. "Last year we were one and done so one of my goals as a senior was to win a playoff game."

That win didn't look so certain in the first half. The Eagles turned the ball over 11 times in the first half, but took a 26-25 lead into the break thanks to seven three-pointers. Two of those threes came from Smith and three from Pat Franklin.

"Franklin was on fire," Copiague coach Steve Rebholz said. "So he had the green light."

Shooting all those threes accomplished a goal for the Eagles (13-6), who spread CI's defense in the second half and began pounding the ball inside. They sank 19 second-half free throws, after making just one in the first half.

The key run came midway through the third quarter after a basket from Reginald Augustus cut Central Islip's deficit to 32-31. Copiague fed big man P.J. Page down low on three straight possessions and ended up with four free throws and a 37-31 lead. Page finished with eight points, all in the second half.

"We saw a chink in their defense," Rebholz said. "They were worried about the three, we, so we wanted to get it inside more."

Derrick Franklin helped CI (10-9) keep it close and scored 10 of his 14 points in the first half.

Hills West will be a significantly great challenge. The undefeated Colts boast three probable Division I players and defeated Copiague twice during the regular season. But Copiague doesn't plan to roll over against LI's top-ranked team.

Smith said: "We're just gonna stay together and play with heart. Like we have all season."