SWR boys’ basketball routs East Islip to improve to 5-0

After sweeping their non-conference schedule to start the year, winning four consecutive games, the Shoreham-Wading River boys’ basketball team opened their League VI schedule with a resounding 53-33 win at East Islip on Saturday morning, Dec. 20.

“It’s been a culmination of the hard work these guys have put in over the years,” SWR head coach Kevin Culhane said. “A lot of these seniors have been on varsity since freshman year, and we’ve gotten better every year. But this past year, I think, we’ve seen the biggest jump.”

Seniors Max Boerum, Carter Baumeister and Andrew Cimino have been on varsity since their freshman year. James Cook, also a senior, joined varsity his junior season and has been an integral part of the core ever since. Add in underclassman Zach Makarewicz and Tyler Lievre, and it’s a truly well-rounded, unselfish group.

“Anyone of us can lead the team in scoring any given night,” Boerum said. “I think that’s what makes us so hard to play against. It’s not just one guy leading the scoring every night. We try to ride the hot hand.”

Boerum and Cook led the scoring in the game against East Islip with 13 and 11 points, respectively. But the electric sophomore sensation, Lievre, has reached 20 points three times already this season. The team scored 100 points against Hampton Bays on Dec. 18, making the highest point total this core group has ever produced. 

“I think we all are just taking what the defense gives us and finding ways to score,” Lievre said. “After last season, we all felt like this was going to be our year, so we’re all locked in and doing whatever it takes to win games.”

The Wildcats got off to a hot start last year, winning six straight games at one point before hitting a bad stretch and ultimately missing the playoffs. The team was 8-2 to start the season before ending 10-10. Culhane is confident there will be no rough patch this year.

“We learned from that,” Culhane said. “We return this year smarter, stronger and more experienced. When a team makes a run against us, we have the mental fortitude to claw back. The biggest thing is that we have so much depth. More so than any other year.”

Brandyn Bland is the go-to player off the bench for the front court and freshman Javon Wright is the first off the bench for the back court. Both figure to continue to play major minutes going forward.

“Last year I was always worried about getting in foul trouble,” Culhane said. “I’m not worried about it anymore. I know we have guys that I can count on to play big minutes. I got to see a lot of that in the offseason.”

SWR had a phenomenal summer capped with a Town of Brookhaven Summer League championship. The last time the team won the summer league, they made the playoffs during the school season. This core group has never been in the playoffs, but by the looks of the start of the season, that should change.

“We want to make the playoffs, especially us seniors,” Cook said. “This is what we’ve been working so hard for all these years. I think we have the pieces not only to make the playoffs but make it far as well. We have to take it one game at a time, though. We don’t want to look too far ahead.”