Sports

Boys Basketball: Blue Waves dig early hole against Colts

Riverhead guard Sharron Trent goes up for a basket against Hills West Thursday. (Credit: Robert O'Rourk)
Riverhead guard Sharron Trent goes up for a basket against Hills West Thursday. (Credit: Robert O’Rourk)

COLTS 63, BLUE WAVES 46

Riverhead junior Ryun Moore dribbled into the paint, spun around a Half Hollow Hills West defender and lofted the ball up with one hand off the glass and through the net. It was a slick move, but one that came with an unfortunate side-note.

At 3:35 remaining in the second quarter, it was the Blue Waves’ first field goal. 

“As a whole, it was an ugly day at the office,” said Riverhead coach John Rossetti in the locker room.

The Colts, one of the top teams in the county this season, held the Blue Waves without a field goal for 12 1/2 minutes and led start to finish Thursday afternoon for a 63-46 League III win at Riverhead High School.

The Blue Waves dug themselves into a 16-point hole after the first quarter, much too big to recover from against a talented team that will contend for the league title and possibly more.

“They’re a good ballclub,” Rossetti said. “They’re long, they’re lean, they’re physical.”

The Blue Waves committed 13 turnovers in the first half, matching their point total, which helped propel the Colts. The hot shooting of 6-foot-4 junior Kian Dalyrimple (16 points) made the Blue Waves pay when he was left open. Dalyrimple buried three 3-pointers in the first half.

After the rough start, Rossetti went deep to the bench to try to find some combination that could keep up with the Colts. As a small silver lining, the Blue Waves played mostly even on the scoreboard with the Colts from the second quarter on, but after falling behind 19-3, it didn’t matter much.

The Blue Waves had 11 different players score; none reached double digits. Steven Reid and Lintell Brown both scored seven. Ethan Greenidge added six.

The Blue Waves dropped to 1-1 in league and 1-2 overall. The Colts are 4-0 overall and 2-0 in league.

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