Boys’ Basketball Wins against Huntington 58-54

The Hauppauge Boys' Varsity Basketball Eagles 1-0 (2-3) took on the Huntington Blue Devils 1-0 (3-2) in their first League V home game on Tuesday night.  The Eagles were able to force turnovers on defense, finish drives, and retaliate when Huntington's offense picked up.

Heroes: John Valezquez scored 22 points in his third game this season with 20+ points.  Velasquez was determined from the baseline and swung in shots off of aggressive drives.  Kyle Sutryk put up 16 points, rallying mainly in the fourth quarter, when the score was close.  His height advantage over the Blue Devils wasn't necessary, it was smart fluid movements that gave him scoring opportunities.

Quote: "Huntington has shown that they're a strong team.  We knew the trouble areas from playing them last season, but today we had to match their aggressive rebounding and keep an eye on the shooters.  It was really good decisions that gave us the win."

Turning Point: Huntington opened up the game with a three and continued to pour it on, leading 12-4.  With just under four minutes, Sutryk stepped in the lane to stop a driving Blue Devil and was able to pick off the ball and toss it down court for Velazquez to finish the play.  From there the Devils called a timeout to slow momentum, but the Eagles charged through, forcing Huntington to drop back their full-court press. The first quarter ended with the Eagles ahead 13-12 on a 9-0 scoring run.

Bottom Line: The Eagles seemed to have a control of the game, except for the third quarter, which was a battle between the teams that caused the lead to change six times. Both teams are experiencing their first season in League IV after years together in League V, and the pre-season results had Huntington looking like a top competitor.  Huntington won three of four games non-league games. But, Hauppauge played tough games against teams like Northport and Newfield, and took three losses out of their first four games.  The early defeats might have been the preparation that will allow this team successes in their new league.

Box Score:

              1…..2..…3…..4…..F

Hau….13..16…18....11....58

Hunt…12..14..20....8....54

Who's Next: Home against Sayville (4-3) Dec. 29 @12 p.m.