Tommy Engel, Tommy Ribaudo help Ward Melville pull away in second half
Ward Melville's Tommy Engel moves the ball in the first quarter during a Suffolk boys basketball game against host Newfield on Friday. Credit: Bob Sorensen
As quality scorers typically do, Tommy Engel refused to allow a difficult first half to impact his aggressive mindset following halftime on Friday night.
The Ward Melville guard continued to let it fly, and gave the Patriots exactly what they were looking for as a result.
Engel scored 14 of his 17 points in the second half and Tommy Ribaudo tacked on eight points as Ward Melville earned a 42-35 road victory over Newfield in a Suffolk II boys basketball game.
"I was just feeling good," Engel said. "Catching clean shots, handling it well. Good, open looks and just feeling the rhythm."
Engel’s last bucket, the biggest of the night, was anything but open, however.
A pair of free throws from Ribaudo extended Ward Melville’s lead to 36-29 with 3:44 remaining until Newfield answered with a layup from Hamza Yousaf and a floater by Josh Jacobs to cut the deficit to three points with 2:18 to go.
On the ensuing possession, Engel caught a pass in the right corner and splashed a contested three late in the shot clock with 1:44 left that ended Newfield’s spurt and recaptured momentum for the Patriots before closing out the win at the free-throw line.
"That was a huge three for us," Ward Melville coach Alex Piccirillo said. "All these guys are warriors … They know that playing hard is the expectation, game in and game out."
Isaiah Brown’s layup with 4:10 remaining in the first half gave Newfield (6-5) its first lead at 14-12. Ward Melville (10-1) responded with the final three points before halftime.
But upon retaking the floor, the Patriots immediately caught fire from deep and found their footing from there.
Michael Dargan and KJ Anderson knocked down back-to-back threes in the opening minute, followed by another pair from Ribaudo and Engel. Engel also converted a floater as time expired in the third quarter to put Ward Melville ahead 29-21 entering the fourth quarter.
"We knew that passing had to be first," Ribaudo said of Ward Melville’s second-half approach. "Don’t settle, just find the open guy. Our stuff is good and we practice it every day. We know that eventually we’ll get an open look and convert."
With the playoffs looming, Ward Melville now prepares for a potential rematch against defending county champion Northport on Tuesday. The Patriots suffered their only conference loss of the season against the undefeated Tigers back on Jan. 7.
More importantly, Ward Melville still has last season’s postseason matchup with Northport on its mind.
"It’s huge," Ribaudo said. "They knocked us out in the semifinals last year. We’ve been thinking about it since then, so we’re ready to go."
