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Sports

Golden Flashes Lose Their Charge in Final Seconds

Sayville loses to Kings Park, 41 – 39 in game decided by controversial call in final seconds.

An undermanned Sayville team never folded against perennial contender Kings Park on Thursday night. But in what was perhaps a metaphor for how things went for Sayville coach Lou Lowe, his post-game duties included some folding of his own—player chair folding—and the resulting frustrating task of fitting them into a cluttered gymnasium closet. 

It was not pretty to watch. Neither was Sayville’s offense.

The host Golden Flashes lost 41 – 39 to the Kingsmen, dropping Sayville to 0-4 in League V (4-6 overall), while Kings Park improved to 3-1 (7-3 overall). But while an offensive charge call cemented Sayville’s fate in the final seconds, it was most probably decided earlier on, when Lowe watched his players throw away scoring opportunities with turnovers and missed shots.

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“We think we’re a running team. [My players] think they can score but if running doesn’t turn into points, then you’re not a running team,” Lowe said. “You run when you have the opportunity to run.”

On this night, Sayville was more efficient in a half-court offense. Missing two starters—Rich Geiger was suspended for receiving two technicals in the last game against Eastport, and Tanner Sterback was sick—the Golden Flashes got a big effort from Vincent Sakk. The senior forward scored 10 points and pulled down 22 rebounds.

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“He was a monster,” Lowe said. “He worked his [tail] off for us. He played terrific.”

Kings Park jumped out to an early 5 – 1 lead, but James Rupp (11 points) hit two free throws to bring Sayville to within one at the end of the quarter, 9 – 8. The game went back and forth throughout the second quarter, with Kings Park taking a 22 – 20 halftime lead.

The Golden Flashes grabbed a lead early in the third when Sean Fullam hit the first of two-consecutive 3-pointers. (Sayville outscored Kings Park 15 – 0 from 3-point range.) When the third quarter concluded, Sayville led 32 – 30.

The teams traded baskets and in one of the game’s prettier moments, Fullam drove the lane and found Sakk for a down-low feed to give Sayville a 36 – 34 lead with under a minute to go. But back-up guard Kevin Neglia scored four straight points and as quickly as Sayville got the lead, Kings Park took it back, this time with only 29.9 seconds left.

“We played hard,” Sakk said. “We know we can play with anyone in our league.”

Kings Park increased its lead to 40 – 36, but Chris Lowe drilled a long-range 3-pointer with 19.6 seconds left, cutting the Kingsmen’s lead to 40 – 39.  After a Kings Park foul-shot miss off an intentional foul, Sayville called time with 10.9 seconds remaining.

Following the time out, Rupp drove down the lane but was called for a charge on Kings Park’s Craig Jeudy. Rupp and Jeudy then began pushing, and players from both teams jumped in to separate themselves. Once order was restored, Kings Park’s Nick Borkowski (a game-high 13 points) hit the first of two free throws and Sayville’s desperation shot at the buzzer fell short.

“It seems like every time there’s a controversial call, it goes against us,” Lowe said.

Kings Park coach David Shouler—who was trying to call timeout when Neglia raced down court 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.”

Missing two starters or not, Lowe found no satisfaction in the outcome. “We’re in every game against good teams,” he said. “In our last three league games, we’ve lost by a combined margin of nine points.”

The Golden Flashes are hanging tough. Certainly not folding under the competition. But just don’t ask Lowe about folding. Especially when he’s the home team.

Scoring by Quarters:


1 2 3 4 F Kings Park 11 11 8 11 41 Sayville 8 12 12 7 39

Individual Scoring:

Kings Park Pts. Sayville Pts. Craig Jeudy 10 Sean Fullam 6 Nick Borkowski 13 Vincent Sakk 10 Henry Baker 1 Chris Lowe 10 James Clutter 4 James Rupp 11 Kevin Gurlides 3 Brian Lutcha 2 Matt Peixoto 5

John Li 1

Kevin Neglia 4

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