The Southampton boys basketball team closed out a victory over the Babylon Panthers Friday night at home, 53-50, and will move on to face first-seeded Center Moriches in an away game Tuesday for the League VII playoffs.
Just two days earlier , 66-62, giving the Panthers a spot on the bracket. Friday's win broke a three-game losing streak for Southampton.
The Panthers put the first digits on the board, but Southampton senior Onajja Browning sunk two fouls shots to tie it up, 2-2. The Mariners seemed to have come out of the gate weak, falling behind at 6-12, and ending the quarter 10-12.
Find out what's happening in Southamptonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
“If we made more layups, I think it would have been a little easier for us down the stretch," coach Herm Lamison said following the game. "I don’t know what it is, but we’ve been missing some layups and some easy baskets inside.”
At the start of the second quarter, freshman Shaundell Fishburne tied it up. With a success from the line by Browning in the final seconds, they ended the half 21-21.
Find out what's happening in Southamptonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
“We really wanted to get out in the first quarter, and get out and get off pretty well, but obviously we didn’t,” Lamison said.
With the game tied at the half, he said he wanted to approach the third quarter like he had hoped for the first, and create a little seperation. And that they did.
The Mariners earned a six-point lead, 27-21, thanks to Browning and juniors Donovan Trent and Adam Fezza each landing a two-pointer. But they would end the quarter just three ahead, 36-33.
Southampton would grow its lead to six again early in the fourth, before it shrunk to nothing, 43-43. Senior Conor Fitzgerald would score two to give the Mariners back the lead, which they did not let go of for the remainder of the game. It came within two points in the final seconds, but Fishburne sunk a foul shot for a three-point victory.
Now the boys are on to their next challenge.
The Mariners will have it very difficult on Tuesday, up against a veteran team, Lamison said.
“We beat them before. We know that they beat us," he said. "So we know that their beatable, and we know that we’re beatable if we don’t do the things that are going to get us a win.”
The Mariners will face the Red Devils at Center Moriches at 6:15 p.m. Tuesday.
