Huntington Fights Back but Loses in Final Minute, 63-57
The Huntington boys’ basketball team pushed John Glenn to the wire, before falling to the Knights in the Suffolk Class A quarterfinals, 63-57 before a crowd of about 600.
The Blue Devils had trouble early keeping up with John Glenn’s quickness, its stubborn trap and accurate outside shooting. Knights appeared on the cusp of a rout three different times when they extended their lead into double digits. But, on each occasion, Huntington responded.
Trailing 57-54 with little more than a minute remaining, guard Matt Duffy capitalized on an open shot to tie the game on a three-pointer that sent Blue Devil fans into a frenzy. But, the joy didn’t last very long as John Glenn responded 15 seconds later with its own bucket from downtown to regain the lead for good, 60-57.
Following a time-out, Huntington had possession and with it a chance to tie the game, but with the shot clock ready to expire, a rushed shot went errant. The final sequence involved the Blue Devils having to commit a series of fouls in an attempt to get the ball back, as the Knights advanced to the county semifinals with a six point victory.
Teddy Calligeros (21 points) and Anthony Brown (15 pts.) led the Huntington offense. John Glenn grabbed an early 15-8 lead thanks to a blistering pace and rugged defense that had the Blue Devils struggling. The Knights held a 32-23 halftime advantage and were ahead 47-37 heading into the fourth quarter.
Huntington scored 20 of the first 30 points in the final frame to storm back into the game, much to the delight of its fans, which included basketball alumni dating back half a century. But, second seeded John Glenn refused to be denied, scoring the final six points of the game to head off an upset.
Blue Devil Notes: Alex Brown scored nine points and Matt Duffy added eight more . . . Huntington finished the year with a record of 9-10 (8-6 league) . . . Anthony Brown hit on a trio of three-pointers, Alex Brown had two from downtown and Duffy connected on one.
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