On this day two years ago, the boys’ basketball team won their season opener in one of the toughest gymnasiums in America. “The Hive” at Bridgehampton High School is difficult to describe to anyone who has not stepped into its cozy confines, but we’ll try.

The the black and gold bandbox simply defies logic. The court is so short that the backcourts actually overlap. It is so narrow that  a corner three-pointer is impossible because you would be attempting it from a doorway out of bounds. It also means that for an in-bounds pass, part of court that is normally in bounds is actually out of bounds until the ball comes into play. As if that was not difficult enough, there is a stage at one end, since the gymnasium doubles as an auditorium, leaving players almost no room to land underneath the basket. It was here that the Brookers and the Bridgies renewed their yearly battle.

In the opening quarter, the Killer Bees jumped out to a 14-11 lead, but the Bears struck back with their blitzing defense in the next frame, winning it 17-4 to take a 10-point lead into the half. The gritty Bees refused to go down easily and made a patented second half rally, closing to within eight points after three quarters. In the fourth, when the Hive somehow becomes even more confining, the Bears showed tremendous poise so early in the season, outscoring the Bridgies 15-10 in the final frame to earn a 56-43 win.

Andrew Daniel led the way with a double-double (14 points and 13 rebounds) while Max Pitsch added 13 points and 7 rebounds.

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