Blue Waves boys squad advances to next round of basketball playoffs

Without their leading scorer and playing in their first playoff game since 2019, the Riverhead Blue Waves boys basketball team simply found a way to win. In a gritty back-and-forth game, No. 7 Riverhead defeated No. 10 Commack, 48-47 in the first round of the Suffolk County Class AAA playoffs on Friday night at Riverhead High School.

Without Deshawn Watkins in the lineup – who is nursing an injury and has averaged around 18 points per game on the season – Riverhead needed someone to step up in his place. Senior captain Liam Lennon took it upon himself to answer the bell.

Lennon tied a career-high in points with 19 and brought down 10 rebounds in the victory over Commack. He also blocked two shots and snatched three steals.

“I knew I had to take over,” Lennon said. “I knew I had to help the team out. I haven’t been there on the scoreboard much recently but it was a playoff game so I had no choice but to step up.”

The 6-foot-5 forward was all over the offensive zone, scoring from inside with spin moves and pivots as well as from outside when presented with the opportunity. Commack didn’t have an answer even though they kept the game close with suffocating defense. 

“There is not a person in this world that I can be happier for than Liam,” head coach Pat Fabian said. “He knows this could have been his last game. He’s waited his whole life for this moment. He was going hard and finishing better than we’ve seen all year. I’ve coached Liam on JV and varsity for four years now and there is no better teammate and leader I’ve ever coached here.”

As the Blue Waves were going through the ups and downs of the game, Lennon kept it even-keeled on the court. When a timeout was called, Lennon was seen hyping the team up, encouraging everyone to box out and play with confidence. 

But Lennon couldn’t do it all himself, Riverhead needed contributions up and down their lineup to emerge victorious. In the second quarter, the Blue Waves found themselves down four points. The momentum changed on a dime when junior guard Pete Lagnena connected on two consecutive threes to send the crowd into a frenzy. Lagnena screamed with full emotion after the second three with Commack needing to take a timeout. He scored 11 points on the night.

“I was finally getting some room in the second quarter so I didn’t think twice and started to shoot,” Lagnena said. “When I got those two to fall, it felt amazing and really got the place going.”

Riverhead (12-9) just couldn’t pull away in the back and forth battle and the game came down to one final shot. There were four seconds left on the clock after a timeout. The Blue Waves were holding onto a one point lead and Commack had the ball in the front court. This was the exact situation Riverhead faced earlier in the season against Sachem North. They lost that game after a missed shot was put back in at the buzzer.

“We’ve been in a situation like this before,” Fabian said. “Last time we got burned on it. We watched the film and saw that guys didn’t box out or were not in the right spots. But that was early in the season.”

It was a learning experience that directly impacted this playoff game. Riverhead played solid defense in that last possession, avoided a foul and never Commack a true opportunity to win the game.

“Today showed how much these kids want to work and improve,” Fabian said. “They want to get better. They’re taking the things that we teach them and they apply it to a game situation. We knew that No. 3 wanted the ball and that No. 11 was in the game to shoot. In the end we took those options away and tried to let their third guy beat us. We got a hand up, he missed and that was game over.”

In his first year as head coach, Fabian has transformed last season’s 3-16 squad into a playoff winner that is heading to the quarterfinals.

“I don’t want to take any credit for this,” Fabian said. “I’m here to try to bring the best out of each one of these kids. They had to want to get better. They had to buy in. Each one of the coaches on the team has a part in this. The success we’ve had this year is a testament to the work everyone has put in. It’s been an absolute pleasure to coach this group.”

Riverhead will travel to No. 2 Bay Shore on Feb. 27 for the next round of the playoffs. Tipoff is slated for 5 p.m.