Phantoms Clinch Playoff Spot!

With a 67-61 victory over longtime rival East Hampton on Jan. 31, the (7-2 in League VI, 13-2 overall) boys varsity basketball team qualified for the postseason, staying close behind first place Amityville (8-0) and continuing to vie for a highly regarded home playoff spot.

‘The last few games we have left in the regular season are all very important because we know it plays a part in where we’ll be seeded in the playoffs,” said Phantoms head coach Kyle Black. We have some tough road games left and our last game is against Mt. Sinai which is a young team with a lot of potential and they’ll be gunning for us so we have to stay sharp.”

Bayport-Blue Point hasn’t had much difficulty during the regular season, with their only losses coming against the legendary Amityville program and the Phantoms currently have the best overall winning percentage of any team in their league.

“The guys are very unselfish and they’re willing to do what it takes to win,” Black said as he spoke proudly of the efforts his team has put forth this season. “They work very hard on defense and it’s not the efforts of one superstar here, instead it’s a bunch of good players working together to make each other better.”

One of Bayport’s top players this season has been senior center Gary Farley, who has averaged a double-double in points and rebounds per game while providing a strong inside presence for the Phantoms on both offense and defense. “He’s been huge for us,” said Black.

Ross Drzal, a senior guard and one of the captains, emerged as the team’s top shooter, averaging 16 points per game and his contributions have been counted upon more lately after senior point guard Adam Berlin has been out with an injured knee for the past three games. Berlin was leading Bayport with 18 points per game and Black said he is expected to be back in the lineup soon. “Adam’s a true court leader and I was nervous when I found out we’d be playing without him, because I wasn’t sure how the rest of the team would react, but they all stepped up to fill his spot.”

Andrew Ptacek, the Phantoms lock down guard defender is a huge asset, using his quickness and aggressiveness to shut down other teams top scorers, while Shane Young, a forward gives his best effort as a physical defender and rebounder, who is a force in the paint and leads the team in taking charges.

Guard Mike Falkenburgh has seen a lot of playing time this season and has started the last three games since Berlin’s injury. “Mike’s done a great job according to Black. ‘He's really stepped up and we haven’t missed a beat with him in there.”

Alp Akdeniz, a junior forward has shown potential, coming into games and grabbing key rebounds during crucial points. “Alp’s an athletic swingman, a big forward who has a solid outside game and he comes in off the bench for us and picks us up.”

 Black explained that making the playoffs was the team’s first goal and now, the opportunity to host a home playoff game rests in Bayport’s hands. “We would be very happy if we were able to get a home playoff game and put ourselves in the best position for the tournament. One of our first goals at the start of the season was to make the playoffs and we’ve been able to do that. Once we start the playoffs, we’ll start our next goal and see how far we can go.”