Losing 50 points per game off last season’s roster didn’t stop Bayport-Blue Point from qualifying for the Suffolk Class A boys basketball playoffs.
Winning rematches against Shoreham-Wading River and Center Moriches ultimately sealed the postseason deal for the Phantoms, who finished 8-6 in League VI and 11-10 overall and closed on a heater.
“We really came on strong at the end,” 11th-year head coach Charles Peck said. “The playoffs looked bleak for a while. I’m proud of how we finished.”
Defense proved key, although the offense, which lost Long Island’s leading scorer Dylan Craig (29 points per game) and Cormack Love (19 ppg), did its part behind junior point guard Chris Gorwitz and senior shooting guard Declan Schug.
Peck said the insertion of senior Vinny Scimone into the starting lineup sparked a stretch run that featured a five-game winning streak. Scimone typically served as the second player off the bench, providing intense defense.
“Vinny was the heartbeat of the team, and he was a big reason we turned the season around,” Peck said. “He was also a vocal leader, whether he was our seventh man or a starter. We don’t win seven of the last nine and make the playoffs without him.”
Avenging early season losses to Shoreham and Center Moriches was crucial in BBP’s playoff push. After falling at Shoreham by 26 on Jan. 6, the Phantoms turned the table 17 days later behind a career-high 23 points from senior Colin Most, its lone returning starter from last winter’s 17-win squad. Then on Jan. 30, Schug hit for 23 to lead a 57-45 victory at Center Moriches, which defeated Peck’s team by 11 in the first meeting on Jan. 10.
“Those were signature wins,” Peck said. “We played terrific defense in both games. We clogged the middle and dug in.”
A standout baseball and football player, Most was Bayport’s leading rebounder for a third straight season. “He’s our glue inside,” Peck said. “He’ll get some points and blocks, too, but his main thing is rebounding. His dependability over the past three seasons has been great.”
Rebounding became more of an issue when 6-foot-7 sophomore center Brayden Waldbauer went down with a foot injury in January and missed the last seven games. Most, Schug and Scimone were able to pick up the slack.
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