On Saturday the boys’ basketball team made history by becoming the first Class C team in history to win four consecutive Suffolk County Championships. Each title was also earned over our fierce rival Pierson, making this championship run all the more unique and memorable. Above is a highlight reel of the four championship victories and below is a brief recap of the wins.
2013
The Bears had revenge on their minds after losing the previous year’s title game to the Whalers on a 3-pointer at the buzzer. The Bears jumped out to a 15-7 lead after the first quarter, but the Whalers chipped away to trail by just four at halftime. What ensued in the second half was a mind-boggling defensive display as the Bears limited the potent Whalers to just five second half points to win 57-27 in stunning fashion. Andrew Daniel was a force inside with 15 points and 13 rebounds. Marco Masakayan added 13 points and 8 assists.
2014
After splitting the two regular season match-ups, the third installment of a Stony Brook/Pierson title game promised to be a battle for the ages. Instead, the Bears unleashed another furious defensive display to top the Whalers, 62-36. Asaiah Wilson led the Bears’ offense with 18 points on five 3-pointers, while Bryce Jackson came off the bench to score 12 on a variety of difficult shots that broke Pierson’s spirit. However, the MVP of the game was Brandon Odom, who shackled Pierson’s Forrest Loesch, one of the county’s leading scorers at 21 points per game. Odom held Loesch to four points in the last regular season match-up and just six points in the County final, two of only three times Loesch was held under 10 points all season.
2015
The Bears won both regular season match-ups 68-65 and 43-42, setting up yet another showdown with the County’s crown on the line. The Whalers, eager to erase the memories of the last two County Finals, raced out to a 10-2 lead. The Bears’ shots weren’t falling, they appeared uncertain on offense, and their big man was sidelined with two early fouls. An uneasy feeling began to develop in the stomachs of the Blue Fan Group, but Mac Bohuny provided a spark with an old-fashioned three-point play on a tough layup which settled the Bears down and allowed them to head into the second quarter trailing just 7-10.
The Bears caught fire in the second frame, connecting on four 3-pointers to take a five-point lead into halftime, then cooled off again in the third quarter, scoring just three points to trail by five heading into the fourth. With under six minutes remaining, Pierson was in control with a six-point lead when coach Mike Hickey unleashed the press. From the moment the press went on, the Brook outscored Pierson 14-3 to close out the championship. With 2:15 left in the game, Luke O’Connor gave the Bears’ the lead for good with a huge trifecta on the way to a 44-39 win. Robbie Colarusso led the Brook with 17 points while fellow senior Luke Meyer made big play after big play down the stretch to seal the title.
2016
The Bears took both regular season meetings by 14 points, but knew that the County Final would be a very different affair. The game remained tight for three quarters, with neither team holding more than a four-point edge. Pierson drained a 3-pointer to take a 30-27 lead late in the third quarter and the game appeared headed for a tense finish. Instead, the Brook uncorked a 13-0 run, punctuated by nine points from Chester Kayonga and a vicious series of blocks from Jyles Etienne and Mac Bohuny.
When the dust settled the Bears had a 40-30 lead and one hand on the trophy. Pierson would not go down without a fight, but the Bears made big plays down the stretch to secure the historic 51-44 win. Bohuny led the Bears with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Kayonga scored 12, all in the second half, and Brandon Providence (9), Luke O’Connor (9), Etienne (4 points/16 rebounds), and Harry Zhu (3) provided a balance scoring attack for the Brook.
The Bears are the undisputed Kings of Class C.
Sag Harbor Express
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