Greenport’s rally falls short in state Class C regional final

After waiting 35 days to play, the Greenport boys basketball’s dominant season has ended.

On Saturday at Center Moriches High School, Greenport took on Section I champion Tuckahoe in the state Class C regional final. After falling into a big hole early, the Porters made a valiant effort to come back but ultimately lost, 56-39.

Greenport, who finished 17-4, showed signs of rust early and trailed 23-5 with just over three minutes left in the first half. It could have gotten worse, but senior forward Daniel Rivas caught a deflected pass while cutting to the basket and made a layup while being fouled to create some momentum. Rivas missed the ensuing free throw, but senior forward Jeremiah King-Smith grabbed the rebound and kicked it out to senior guard Kal-El Marine, who buried a very deep three-pointer and drew another foul.

Marine converted the free throw to complete the four-point play. The consecutive energy plays ignited a 29-14 extended run that spanned from the end of the second quarter through the first five minutes of the third. After having its lead cut to three points, a 19-5 finishing run by Tuckahoe (21-4) sealed it.

Greenport coach Justin Moore attributed his players’ fight to their maturity.

“That shows the growth in them,” Moore said. “A year or two ago, that type of a game would’ve gotten out of control for us, so it goes to show how much they are growing into men.”

During the run, senior guard Nelson Shedrick and senior forward Taiquan Brumsey kept the intensity up. Shedrick found success driving the lane and getting his team points from around the basket and the free-throw line. With just 3:11 left in the third quarter, Shedrick dropped his defender with a crossover before hitting a step-back three-pointer to make it 37-34.

Shedrick scored 12 of his 13 points during the 29-14 run and also dished out a full-court assist to King-Smith.

“I was just trying to get them in foul trouble, get to the line a little bit and get those easy points in transition when we could,” Shedrick said. “It just wasn’t enough in the end.”

While trying to will his team all the way back, Brumsey made four tightly-contested field goals in the second half, with a turnaround mid-range jumper, a putback, a floater and an and-one driving layup. He led Greenport with 14 points.

“We started getting to the basket, and defensively, we were being more aggressive,” Brumsey said. “Once we started our press, we caused multiple turnovers and started getting points off that.”

As far as Marine is concerned, he is just proud to have been able to experience this ride with Greenport.

“I love my teammates,” Marine said. “Playing with them was great for the past three years. Obviously, it would’ve been better to win, but I’m just happy I had the opportunity to be with these guys in the first place.”