Blue Devil Sports Briefs
The Blue Devil junior varsity boys’ basketball team led by rookie coach Jimmy Creighton grabbed its first league victory of the winter when it turned back Eastport-South Manor at home, 51-42. Thomas Thurmond led Huntington with 17 points and teammate Jeremy Rhodes chipped in with 10 points and eight rebounds. Tom Grossman, who played tough defense, pumped in nine points.
“It was an overall team effort with good protection of the ball on offense and gritty defensive play,” Creighton said. The Blue Devils also received scoring punch from Jamal Brown (six points), Davon White (5), and Dan Smith (4).
The Blue Devil girls’ basketball team won its second consecutive league game by downing Eastport-South Manor, 47-25. Huntington opened a 23-1 lead after eight minutes of play and was ahead 30-5 at halftime. Ten Blue Devil players scored in the game, led by Kerry Hick’s 10 points. Matte Scully pumped in another eight points and Julie Forster and Meredith McCourt added six points each, respectively.
Tom Grossman enjoyed quite a season with the Huntington junior varsity football team this past fall. The sophomore starred at wide receiver and defensive back, recording a pair of touchdowns, 41 solo tackles, including three for a loss and six interceptions.
“He’s an exceptional athlete whose great speed coupled with his mental toughness earned him the honor of being one of the best safeties I’ve ever had on the JV level,” said Ronald Wilson, who coached Grossman along with colleague Tim Madden.
The Huntington boys’ basketball team carried a 34-31 lead into the fourth quarter of the team’s league opener against Sayville, but the Blue Devils couldn’t close it out as the Golden Flashes rallied for a 55-53 victory.
Huntington’s Matt Duffy connected for 21 points and Anthony Brown added 10 more to pace the Blue Devil attack. Down 55-50, Duffy got off a shot from half court as the final buzzer sounded and saw his third three-pointer of the game go through the hoop.
The Huntington boys’ swimming team lost its first three meets of the season, dropping decisions to Connetquot (97-83), Sayville/Bayport-Blue Point (95-82) and West Islip (57-45), but freshman Sean Sullivan has shined. “He’s an excellent swimmer and completely dedicated to it,” Blue Devils’ coach Gil Smith said. “He trains year round. He’ll be going back to the state championship this year.”
A typical example of Sullivan’s prowess came against Sayville when he won both the 200 meter individual medley (2:19.42) and the 100 meter freestyle (58:83), two of his specialties. “Sean’s also a great kid,” Smith added about the All-American candidate.
The Huntington boys’ basketball team picked up its first league victory of the season by turning back Eastport-South Manor, 56-49 in an exciting game played in Louis D. Giani Gymnasium.
The Blue Devils trailed by five at halftime, 24-19, but used an explosive second half to take command. Huntington outscored the Sharks in the third quarter, 20-10. Matt Duffy led the home team with 17 points and Peter Delfino (15 points) and Alex Brown (13 points) also reached double figures. Huntington connected on seven three pointers, including Duffy’s three from downtown.
The Huntington girls’ basketball team dug itself a big hole in a consolation round game in the Suffolk Shootout against Northport, but somehow managed to climb out of it before tiring and falling to the Tigers, 74-63.
The Blue Devils trailed from the start, eventually falling behind 32-17 before staging a remarkable comeback. Huntington got hot on both ends of the court and narrowed its deficit to 38-37 by halftime.
The third quarter saw the Blue Devils grab a four point lead before Northport mounted a comeback of its own. Huntington came within three points several times over the remainder of the game, but never regained the lead despite 21 points from Kerry Hicks and another 14 from Maria Marascia.
Northport won the game thanks to the rugged inside game of forward Samantha Breidenbach, who pumped in a game high 25 points. Huntington’s Jane Mitchell scored nine points and Julie Forster and Casey Scully each added eight more, respectively.
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