Kingsmen Edge Sayville in Final Seconds

Kings Park’s Kevin Neglia only scored four points against Sayville on Thursday night. But they couldn’t have come at a better time.

Coming off the bench, Neglia hit consecutive baskets to turn a 36 – 34 deficit into a 38 – 36 lead with under 30 seconds remaining. Moments later, when a Sayville player was called for a charge under the Kings Park basket, the Kingsmen edged out a 41 – 39 victory. The win upped Kings Park’s record to 3-1 (7-3 overall), while Sayville fell to 0-4 (4-6 overall).

Kings Park coach David Shouler—who was trying to call a timeout while Neglia raced down court and through Sayville defenders for the go-ahead basket—knew his team escaped with a hard-fought win.

“Sayville played great. They put in a terrific effort, missing two starters,” Shouler said. “And we got so many chances. We just couldn’t make our shots.”

Nick Borkowski, who led all scorers with 13, knew that a three-point lead at the end of the first quarter wasn’t what Kings Park was expecting. “This was much tougher,” he said. “We didn’t come out really ready to play in the first half.”

One player who didn’t have the luxury of getting into the flow of the game was Craig Jeudy. The sophomore guard comes off the bench, and on this night, scored 10 points while adding a physical presence at both ends of the floor. “[Jeudy] is a very tough player,” Shouler said.

Indeed. Jeudy was particularly impactful down low, pulling down offensive rebounds and generating scoring chances in the paint. “I like to play both outside and inside,” Jeudy said.

It was Jeudy’s defensive play in the final moments that secured the Kingsmen’s win. With Kings Park up 40 – 39, Sayville’s James Rupp drove down the lane for a potential go-ahead basket. But Jeudy stepped in front of Rupp and drew a charging call with only 4.4-seconds left. Borkowski hit the first of two free throws on the other end and Sayville’s desperation shot at the buzzer fell short.

Heroes: Borkowski and Jeudy did the job on both ends of the court. And Neglia scored two consecutive baskets in the final moments.

Turning Point: This was a back-and-forth contest, from the opening moments to the final seconds.

Quotable: “I try to be loyal to my upperclassmen,” Shouler said, explaining how sophomore Craig Jeudy starts the game on the bench.

Bottom Line: Sayville came into this contest missing two starters, and despite Kings Park having a poor shooting first half and giving up many offensive rebounds, the Kingsmen sustained enough offense to narrowly defeat an undermanned opponent. 

Key Stat: Kings Park defeated Sayville despite being outscored 15 – 0 from 3-point range.

Who’s Next: The Kingsmen will play at Harborfields (3-0 League V, 5-2 overall) on January 14^th in a battle for first place.

Scoring by Quarters:

Individual Scorers: