Amir Dickerson propels Amityville to quarterfinal basketball victory over Bellport
Amityville forward Amir Dickerson takes the steal in for two points against Bellport in the Suffolk Class AA quarterfinals on Wednesday at Bellport. Credit: George A. Faella
A ticket to the Suffolk AA final four was right there for Amityville or Bellport to grab Wednesday inside Bellport’s gym. But the road team had something going for it that the home team didn’t — Amir Dickerson.
“It’s great to have a really good player on your team,” Amityville coach Jack Agostino said. “He knows how to win. He knows how to play. He’s been in big moments. He’s been a great player since he was an elementary school player. He’s a really, really talented player.”
The 6-3 junior guard delivered 31 points in fifth-seeded Amityville’s 68-50 quarterfinal victory over No. 4 Bellport.
“Dickerson is spectacular,” Bellport assistant coach Rich Brown said. “… I knew he would be a problem, his size, his ball-handling ability, his creativity. He proved to be as good as advertised.”
Now the advertising for the semifinals will tout Amityville vs. top-seeded Wyandanch. They will play at 6:30 Monday at Longwood. In the regular season, Wyandanch won 57-56 on a buzzer-beating three, then took the rematch 72-59.
“We can’t lose to Wyandanch again [three] times,” Dickerson said. “We’ve got to keep working. We’re underdogs.”
“We’ve got everything we need,” he added.
So how confident is he in his 14-7 basketball team’s chances to ultimately claim a county championship?
“Ten out of 10,” Dickerson said.
Bellport finished at 14-7. But the Clippers had it tied at 38-all with 3:36 left in the third after Jordan Battist hit from deep, good for three of his 23 points.
Then Dickerson went behind the back with the ball on a successful drive. Taki Mason, who chipped in with 16 points, followed by converting an offensive rebound and hitting a three.
Dickerson followed with another three. It was 48-38, just like that.
“They just wanted it more than us,” Brown said. “I think our kids played hard, but they turned it up a level.”
It was 48-40 after three. Dickerson then scored seven in an 11-4 run to open the final quarter, making it a 59-44 game.
“We had 20 days off,” Agostino said, “and this is where I think the game was won for my team: We had 20 excellent practices.”
Bellport led 19-12 after one quarter. But Amityville rallied to go up 28-25 at halftime.
Agostino credited his team’s mental toughness to its participation in the competitive summer league at Bolden Mack Park in Amityville, saying, “We’ve been tested in more ways than one.”
