I remember my parents and aunt saying that was the hardest fought game they ever saw from a boys' varsity basketball team.

~ Mitch Singer

On this day three years ago, the boys’ basketball team became giant killers as they took down Class AA Smithtown West, 55-52, in a thriller on the home court.

The Bears trailed 11-12 after the first, but came back with a strong second frame, behind two 3-pointers by Eric Duff, to knot the game at 26-26 going into the half. The Bulls tipped the scales in their favor during the third quarter, snatching control of the game with an 18-10 advantage to take an 8-point edge into the fourth. The Bears went about chipping away at the deficit, but trailed for the majority of the period until a mere 1:33 remained.

Down 47-50 with 2:29 left, Lou Pizzichillo scored the game’s next five points and with 1:33 showing on the clock he vaulted the Brook into winning position with a clutch 3-point play. Adrien Husson followed with a score to cap a 7-0 run and put the Blue and White up 54-50 with 1:10 remaining. The defense would not relinquish the lead over the next frantic minute, giving the home team a riveting, come-from-behind upset after an incredible 19-8 final frame. The defense limited West’s biggest scoring threat to just two points in the final quarter after allowing 18 over the previous three.

Mitch Singer scored a team-high 19 points that included three shots from behind the arc, while Pizzichillo finished with 11 after his crucial five-point run with time running out. Husson and Duff chipped in with 11 and 10 points, respectively. The stat of the game may have been the Bulls’ free throw shooting as they connected on just 13 of 30 from the line.

It was a fight.  Smithtown was stunned. When it was all over, we learned the sweet taste of victorious exhaustion.

~ Lou Pizzichillo

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