Tully Campbell's late jumper lifts Bayport-Blue Point past Mount Sinai
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Tully Campbell takes the layup to put Bayport-Blue Point's up 10-4 in the first quarter of a Suffolk League IV boys basketball game against Mt. Sinai in Bayport on Monday, January 30, 2023. Credit: Peter Frutkoff
The buzzer went off to conclude Bayport-Blue Point’s 13-point loss at Mount Sinai in mid-December, and it left Tully Campbell feeling very, very motivated.
“Ever since that day, I’m thinking to myself, ‘I need to get better. I need to get my team better. I need to be a better leader. I need to do whatever I can,’ ” the senior combo guard said. “Every single time, I’d be thinking about that last second after that buzzer rang that we lost that game.”
Now it was the Suffolk IV rematch Monday at BBP. Mount Sinai had made two furious comebacks. The Phantoms were still clinging to a three-point edge, and then Campbell nailed a jumper from the foul line with about 27 seconds left for the final two of his 25 points and the final two in the game.
Bayport-Blue Point beat a very good basketball team, 53-48, which said something about the Phantoms, too. They ended Mount Sinai’s seven-game winning streak in the process.
“Today I feel like not just me, our whole team brought it today,” Campbell said.
The Phantoms are 12-5 overall, 8-3 in Suffolk IV and 4-1 in the league’s subdivision for smaller enrollment teams, which will yield a champion. They also look like they will be a threat in the Suffolk Class A tournament.
“I think there are six teams that can win the county title,” Phantoms coach Charlie Peck said. “The other league [Suffolk III] is tough. They’ve got Kings Park, Deer Park and West Bab[ylon]. We have three good teams on our side, Mount Sinai, us and Hampton Bays.”
Brady Clark grabbed 14 rebounds and Mike Luce grabbed eight more for Bayport-Blue Point. They also helped their team overcome a 26-point performance by Drew Feinstein for the Mustangs (14-4, 10-2, 4-2).
Thomas Frycek sandwiched threes around a Feinstein layup in an 8-0 burst to slash BBP’s lead to 49-48 with 1:37 on the clock.
But Dylan Craig drove the lane for a three-point advantage, and Campbell’s shot clinched it.
“I think it boosts everybody’s confidence,” said junior guard Robby Maurer, who contributed six points to the cause.
Bayport-Blue Point had constructed a 34-18 lead with 3:14 left in the second quarter.
From there, Feinstein scored 14 in a 16-2 run, cutting it to 36-34 with 4:25 remaining in the third.
The Phantoms rebuilt their advantage to 49-40 with 3:07 left in regulation before it got sweaty again.
“I feel like we weren’t ready to play at 5 o’clock,” Mount Sinai coach Ryan McNeely said. “They had the momentum. Great environment. Playoff environment. … We dug ourselves in a deep hole. We started to get out of it, but it was a little too late.”