The Southampton Mariners know they need a surge.

For the 20th time in the last 21 seasons, coach Herm Lamison has directed the Mariners to the Suffolk County boys basketball playoffs. After losing their last three regular-season games, the fourth-seeded Mariners host fifth-seeded Babylon on Friday night at 6 in the opening round of the Class C bracket.

Senior forward Colin Buonillo said his team (7-5 in the League VII standings) needed to refocus after losing at Mattituck 84-67 last Friday night. The Tuckers built a 30-point halftime lead, 53-23.

"I think we need to show what we showed at the beginning of the season: good chemistry and fundamental basketball; making passes, making layups," Buonillo said. "We are the best team in the league and we need to show that now.

"Our main goal is to win the Class B (county title)."

The Mariners' motto is "Whatever it takes!" They want to quickly avenge a 66-62 loss Wednesday night at Babylon (6-6 in the league). Southampton's probable starting five may include  the 6-5 Buonillo, 6-1 sophomore Devon Trent, 6-2 senior Omajja Browning, 5-11 sophomore Travon Smith and 14-year-old Shaundell Fishburne, a 6-0 ninth grader.

Conor Fitzgerald, a 5-8 senior guard, returned to action last week after missing six games with a broken bone in his thumb.

Fishburne, Southampton's leading scorer, proved why he's gaining a growing reputation. He scored a team-high 17 points against Mattituck, and showed frequent aggressiveness. He averages 15.5 points a game, with a personal high of 28, and is one of the youngest starters, at age 14, for all 60 Suffolk public school varsity teams.

"I've had quite a few sophomores start for me, but he's the first freshman," Lamison said. "He just possesses some real basketball qualities that we didn't have in the upperclassmen; sheer athleticism, savvy for the game, the ability to adjust himself in the air to avoid defenders; shoot off the dribble, which is a lost art at all levels of basketball."

Fishburne, a solid 170 pounds, has a "mid-range game," the coach said. "He can shoot long, shoot inbetween and get all the way to the rack ... His quickness is deceptive, not explosive." The young standout, however, "has got a lot to learn," Lamison added.

Mattituck coach Paul Ellwood said Fishburne is already one of the five best players in League VII.

"He is a super talent," he said. "I love the way he explodes to the basket, his energy. . . . He is going to be a stud."

Fishburne said his first varsity season "has been fun."

Is he surprised by his quick success? "Yes, a little," he said. "But I worked hard in the summer. I like scoring and creating plays for my teammates."

Buonillo gives the Mariners a productive rebounder and strong defense near the basket.

"He has done a nice job of controlling the paint for us all year," Lamison said. "He averages six or seven blocks and is a steady rebounder. In some games, he gets 12 to 14. He is the anchor to our defensive effort. When he is not in the game, it makes a big difference."

Against Mattituck, Buonillo scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.

Devon Trent is a first-year starter.

"He actually gives us some defensive toughness; a smart kid," Lamison said. "He does a lot of communicating out there."

Browning is also a first-year starter. "He's probably our best outside shooter," the coach said.

Donovan Trent, a 6-0 junior, has bounced back from a knee injury.

Lamison said, "He's a good source of energy coming off the bench."

Smith joined the starting lineup to play point guard after Fitzgerald was sidelined with an injury. "He's learning on the fly," said Lamison, a 25-year veteran of the Southampton Village Police Department. "He's made mistakes, but actually has done a pretty decent job."

Adam Fezza, a 6-2 junior, helps off the bench. "He's a good rebounder and he can stick the shot," Lamison said

Other young men contributing to Southampton are 6-0 junior Sky Shainwald, 6-0 senior Travon Pettaway, 5-10 junior Trey Riddick, 6-2 senior Demetrius McCoy and 5-11 senior Marly Doerthy.

Lamison's assistant coaches are Terry McNamara and Rickey Taylor.

If the Mariners eliminate Babylon on Friday, they advance to compete at top-seeded Center Moriches Tuesday night. Center Moriches (11-7 overall) and second-seeded Mattituck (13-5) shared first place with 9-3 league records.