Blue Devils Overcome Huge Deficit
It was the worst of times; it was the best of times. The Huntington boys' basketball team played a game that could have fit nicely into a Dickens' novel. In the end, the Blue Devils did more than enough things right to topple visiting Hauppauge, 64-55.
With head coach Brad Reminick sidelined by illness, assistant coach Tim Madden took control of the team and the Blue Devils responded with a gutty performance, which while uneven at times, ultimately put an exclamation point on the victory.
The team is in transition after losing several players, but with two consecutive wins, Huntington is feeling good about itself and it shows.
Hauppauge led by two points at halftime, 26-24. Then the Eagles came out on fire for the second half and opened a wide gap. With Huntington's shooters ice cold and the team generally flat, Hauppauge responded by building an 11-point lead before the Blue Devils finally snapped out of their funk and started running, jumping and hitting shots like a county championship squad.
Tyon Herion (16 points), John McCarthy (15 points, 12 rebounds, 7 blocks) and P.J. White (12 points, 15 rebounds) started to repeatedly drain baskets to help Huntington claw its way back into the game. The Blue Devils knocked down eight 3-pointers on the night and played aggressive defense and a surprisingly quick running game.
Jack Cutrone and Devon Nelson chipped in with eight points each. JT Taylor added four points and Pat Reilly contributed three points. "It was a real team effort," Madden said. "When we were down by double digits, it would have been easy to pack it in, but no one did. We got back in the game, one point at a time. We proved something tonight."
Huntington's devastating outside shooting turned the tide as the Blue Devils outscored the Eagles in the fourth quarter, 28-11 much to the astonishment of many in the crowd of about 200 in Louis D. Giani Gymnasium. Herion, who had previously seen only limited playing time this season, scored 14 of his team high 16 points in the final eight minutes of the game.
McCarthy played what might have been his best game of the winter. His accurate shooting, sharp passing and strong rebounding helped keep Huntington in the game early and later contributed to the team's fourth quarter run.
The victory improved Huntington's league mark to 3-5 (6-7 overall). If the Blue Devils can keep winning, a play-off berth is within reach.