Blue Waves boys basketball tries to right the ship in the second half

It was a game they simply had to have.

A year removed from making the playoffs for the first time since 2019, expectations going into this season were high for Riverhead’s boys basketball team. Though they lost two starters, the core returned in hopes of making another run.

But halfway through their season, the team was staring at a 2-6 record in League I play.

“We’re much better than what our record shows,” head coach Pat Fabian said. “It’s been a hard year for us. We’ve been in every game we’ve played. There’s just been a low point in those losses that we just haven’t been able to battle back from.”

On Saturday, Jan. 17, Riverhead opened up the second half of its league schedule, needing a 6-2 record the rest of the way to make the playoffs. Sachem East was in town, a team they lost to 56-43 early in the season. Things finally went to plan, however, and Riverhead flipped the script, winning 47-45 in front of their home fans. 

“To be honest, we just came into this game trying to have fun,” junior point guard Anaiis Mitchell said. “We’ve been pressing as a team all season long, and today we just wanted to go out there and be loose and play the game we all love.”

Riverhead came out in command and led throughout the first half behind a big scoring outburst from Landon Zaleski, who scored 18 points in the game. The crafty forward, who gave up at least six inches against his opponent under the basket, had quick footwork all game that allowed him open shots in the paint.

“I came into today with the mentality that I was going to take over,” Zaleski said. “The last few games I’ve been feeling it, so I wanted to take a lot of pressure off my teammates today and get us easy baskets.”

But just like it’s happened all season long, the other team made a run and shifted the momentum. In the third quarter, the Blue Waves were able to muster only five points, and Sachem East briefly took the lead after trailing by 10 points in the first half. Riverhead was all too familiar with this moment and, more times than not, fell apart down the stretch of the game as a result.

“We realized that doing all the little things during those tough times keeps us in the game,” said senior guard Josiah Rodney, who tallied 12 points on Saturday. “When our shots aren’t falling, we have to lead with our defense. We need to get those rebounds, dive after those loose balls and make life difficult for the other team.”

The lead bounced back and forth the rest of the game until Riverhead’s suffocating defense was too much. Mitchell was a menace on the court, coming up with seven steals and hitting a free throw in the final seconds to seal the game.

“Everyone on this team thought it would be another playoff run,” Mitchell said. “And it’s not anything that anyone specifically did that turned this season the way it did. The good part is that we still have a chance. We still have half the season to play. We have to keep grinding and finish the season strong.”

Riverhead would have to win five of the last seven games on their league schedule to make the playoffs. Left to play are Bay Shore (9-1), Brentwood (5-5), William Floyd (9-0), Longwood (5-4), Central Islip (1-8), Patchogue-Medford (0-10) and Walt Whitman (7-2). 

“We need to win the games we should and steal a few,” Fabian said. “We’re more than capable. The season isn’t over. It might be a tough road to the playoffs, but we’re not going to give up. I’m so proud of everyone in that locker room. We just need to focus on playing one game at a time and playing a full 32 minutes of great basketball.”