Ward Melville’s James Reilly drives the baseline in a home game against Smithtown East. Photo by Bill Landon
Smithtown East freshman JJ Polanco drives the baseline in a road game against Ward Melville. Photo by Bill Landon
Smithtown East forward Zach Satchwill hits a three pointer in a road game against Ward Melville. Photo by Bill Landon
Ward Melville’s Neelesh Raghurama banks two in a home game against Smithtown East. Photo by Bill Landon
Ward Melville’s James Reilly battles in the paint in a home game against Smithtown East. Photo by Bill Landon
Ward Melville’s Logan Seta (l) battles Devin Saxon for possession in a home game against Smithtown East. Photo by Bill Landon
Ward Melville’s Neelesh Raghurama splits a pair of defenders in a home game against Smithtown East. Photo by Bill Landon.
Ward Melville’s James Coffey lets a three-pointer fly in a home game against Smithtown East. Photo by Bill Landon.
Smithtown East senior Nico Skartsiaris lays up for two in a road game against Ward Melville. Photo by Bill Landon
Smithtown East senior John Armes hits a three pointer in a road game against Ward Melville. Photo by Bill Landon
Smithtown East senior Nico Skartsiaris goes to the rim in a road game against Ward Melville. Photo by Bill Landon
Smithtown East senior Gjon Lleshaj hits a three pointer in a road game against Ward Melville. Photo by Bill Landon
Craig O’Neill (l) powers his way to the rim for Smithtown East as Ward Melville’s Danny Cornish defends. Photo by Bill Landon
Ward Melville’s Logan Seta with a rebound in a home game against Smithtown East. Photo by Bill Landon
Craig O’Neill drives the lane for the Bulls in a season opening win over Ward Melville. Photo by Bill Landon
Neelesh Raghurama lets a three-pointer fly in a home game against Smithtown East. Photo by Bill Landon
By Bill Landon
The Patriots of Ward Melville were no match for the visiting Bulls of Smithtown East in both teams’ season opener Saturday afternoon, where the Bulls broke out early in the opening quarter and never looked back, trampling the Patriots 77-39 in the non-league matchup Nov. 30.
Craig O’Neill, a junior, led the way for Smithtown East with seven field goals and five from the free-throw line for a team high of 19 points. Seniors Nico Skartsiaris netted 11 points, and Tom Fanning added 10.
Ward Melville senior Neelesh Raghurama topped the scoring chart for the Patriots, banking 10 points, and James Coffey, the freshman, notched nine.
Smithtown East retakes the court with another non-league game when they host William Floyd on Dec. 5 at 4 p.m.
Smithtown East senior Ben Haug drives the lane in the Suffolk Class AA semi-finals. Photo by Bill Landon
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Smithtown East senior Ben Haug drives the lane in the Suffolk Class AA semi-finals. Photo by Bill Landon
Smithtown East sophomore Craig O’Neill lays up for two in the Suffolk Class AA semi-finals. Photo by Bill Landon
Smithtown West sophomore Michael Cascione drives the lane in the Suffolk Class AA semi-finals. Photo by Bill Landon
Smithtown West sophomore Michael Cascione scores in the Suffolk Class AA semi-finals. Photo by Bill Landon
Smithtown West sophomore Michael Cascione fights his way to the rim in the Suffolk Class AA semi-finals. Photo by Bill Landon
Smithtown West forward John Giotis lays up for two in the Suffolk Class AA semi-finals. Photo by Bill Landon
Smithtown East forward John Armes fights his way to the rim in the Suffolk Class AA semi-finals. Photo by Bill Landon
Smithtown West senior Jack Melore banks two in the Suffolk Class AA semi-finals. Photo by Bill Landon
Smithtown West sophomore Michael Cascione fights his way to the rim in the Suffolk Class AA semi-finals. Photo by Bill Landon
Smithtown West senior Jack Melore hits a three-pointer in the Suffolk Class AA semi-finals. Photo by Bill Landon
Smithtown West senior forward Ben Rappa scores in the Suffolk Class AA semi-finals. Photo by Bill Landon
Smithtown West senior Matt Bannell scores in the Suffolk Class AA semi-finals. Photo by Bill Landon
Smithtown West senior Jack Melore fights his way to the rim in the Suffolk Class AA semi-finals. Photo by Bill Landon
Smithtown East senior Will Tufo banks two in the Suffolk Class AA semi-finals. Photo by Bill Landon
Smithtown East senior Michael Derosa drains a three-pointer in the Suffolk Class AA semi-finals. Photo by Bill Landon
Smithtown East forward Tom Fanning lays up in the Suffolk Class AA semi-finals. Photo by Bill Landon
By Bill Landon
Smithtown East was hoping three times would be the charm when they faced their crosstown rival Smithtown West in the Class AA semifinal round at Longwood High School Feb. 27. East fell to West by 14 points in January, then nine points Feb. 5, and was hoping to upset the No. 1 seed when the score was 14 all at the end of eight minutes of play. Smithtown West showed why they’re the top seed as they stretched their legs the rest of the way running away to win the game 74-47 and, with it, punched their ticket to the county final round.
Ben Rappa along with Michael Cascione topped the scoring chart for Smithtown West netting 16 points apiece, Jack Melore added 14 and Matt Bannell netted 12.
Craig O’Neill led Smithtown East in scoring with 11 points, Ben Haug netted nine and Tom Fanning added eight.
Smithtown West (No.1) returns to Longwood High School Saturday, March 2, where they will face Half Hollow Hills East (No. 2) in the county championship title round. Game time is slated for 2:30 p.m.
James Burton goes for loose ball for the Bulls. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Bobby Eck handles double team from Hauppauge. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Smithtown East vs. Hauppauge Eagles. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Smithtown East vs. Hauppauge Eagles. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Gjon Lleshaj controls the ball in the paint. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Smithtown East vs. Hauppauge Eagles. Photo by Steven Zaitz
Smithtown East vs. Hauppauge Eagles. Photo by Steven Zaitz
By Steve Zaitz
Led by senior guard Benjamin Haug’s 24 points, the Smithtown East boys basketball team beat their rivals to the south, the Hauppauge Eagles, 65-49 on Feb. 24 in the first round of the Suffolk County, Class AA playoffs.
The Bulls, the fourth seed, improve to 16-5 and gotthe opportunity to face an even fiercer rival – the number one seed Smithtown West Bulls.
In their win over the Eagles, Smithtown East rode a 19-3 second period to establish a commanding lead after a close first quarter. They took a 37-18 lead into halftime as Haug boasted 11 points and senior big man James Burton had 9 at the break.
Hauppauge junior guard Cole Wood hit three three-pointers in the second half and the fifth-seeded Eagles cut the lead to 11 late in the third quarter, but they never got any closer.Wood finished with 17 points.
Breaking news
Smithtown West handily defeated Smithtown East in the semi-finals on Tuesday, Feb. 27, 74-47 and will face Half Hollow Hills East for the Class AA championship on March 2.
Jack Melore, who led the West team with 18 points, splits the Smithtown East triple team. Photo by Steven Zaitz
By Steven Zaitz
It was a wire-to-wire win but with a twist. On Jan. 6, in their annual battle for the key to the city, the Smithtown West Bulls boys basketball team defeated their red-clad Bull brothers to the East, 56-42. With the win, Smithtown West remains undefeated at 9-0 and 6-0 in Suffolk Division III as Smithtown East falls to 6-3 and 3-2 in league play.
Smithtown West’s multisport senior, Jack Melore, led the way with 18 points and eight rebounds. Lorenzo Rappahad 15 points and six assists, and his brother Ben Rappa chipped in nine points.
Lorenzo Rappa goes high against Gjon Lleshaj in Smithtown West’s 56-42 victory over Smithtown East on Jan. 6.
After junior Blue Bull forward, John Giotis, hit a backdoor layup just eleven seconds into the game, Smithtown West had a lead they would never surrender. The team continued to build on their lead, outscoring the red-Bulls, 11-4, at the close of the first quarter. West’s Jack Melore scored seven points in the first quarter and had 14 of his total 18 in the first half.
Despite this, Smithtown East refused to go quietly into the weekend. East senior forward, Will Tufo, hit a long two-pointer to open the second half. Teammate Ben Haug, who led all scorers with 22, bullied his way in the paint to cut a seven-point halftime deficit to only four.
Nevertheless, West clamped down and arm-barred the red team from coming inside the paint. Blocked shots and quick hands by Melore and Ben Rappa stifled East’s offense for a long stretch of the third period. A steal by West senior guard, Max Nicholas, with two seconds left in the third led to a fast break and two free throws. Nicholas sank them both to put the home team up by eight, as the game entered the fourth quarter.
Junior forward John Giotis of Smithtown West goes strong to the rim against Smithtown East center Tom Fanning in West’s 56-42 win on Jan. 6. Photo by Steven Zaitz
The final quarter was dominated by the Rappa brothers of Smithtown West. Ben Rappa fired the opening salvo of the fourth by hitting a corner three, raising the lead to a baker’s dozen, one of the only three-point shots made in the game for either team. The blue-Bulls commanding lead seemed to have made each tick of the clock grow louder for the boys from the East, as only six minutes remain on the game clock.
Lorenzo Rappa slashed diagonally through the lane with two minutes remaining to make the score 50-37. Swingman Michael Cascione made an acrobatic layup to give the white and blue team its final points with under a minute to go. The crowd erupted at the sight of Cascione’s athleticism as the 12-piece pep band’s trumpet section blared ‘The Children of Sanchez’ to celebrate their school’s crosstown victory.
It was West’s ninth straight win over East, dating back to February 2016.
“It always means a little more beating them,” said Melore, who is also one of the finest football players in Suffolk county. “Our team takes great pride and always believes in our defense. The Rappa twins did a great job anchoring it.”