Down by 17, Blue Devils Rally
Down by 17 points in the first half at Copiague, the Huntington High School boys' basketball team staged a furious rally, coming all the way back to take a three-point lead by halftime. The Blue Devils went on to top the Eagles, 65-59 in Suffolk League IV play.
Copiague went on a tear in the opening eight minutes, methodically building a huge lead as Huntington struggled to contain the Eagles' speed and shooters. Copiague led 24-9 after one quarter. Then Huntington finally found its groove, going on a 26-8 run to gain the upper hand at halftime, 35-32.
The Blue Devils continued their sharp shooting in the third frame, outscoring the Eagles, 15-5. Copiague staged a rally of his own in the fourth quarter, but it was too late as Huntington held on to improve its record to 3-1 (2-0 in league play).
Kieran McGovern scored 22 points, including four three-point baskets to lead the Blue Devils. Patrick Reilly had 20 points and seven rebounds. Devon Nelson added 13 points.
Once Huntington's offense got untracked, the Blue Devils were hard to stop. Head coach Brian Carey made the necessary defensive adjustments that put his team in the driver's seat and sent the team on its way to a satisfying victory.
Six Huntington players scored in the game, including Connor Birchard, who scored six points and Alex Castillo and Kevin Montefusco, who had two points each.
Blue Devil Notes: Reilly connected for a pair of three-point baskets . . . Nelson scored five points from the free throw line . . . The Blue Devils scored 15 points at the foul line.