Bridgehampton rallies in second half but falls in state Class D final
Bridgehampton's Jaylen Harding looks for an open player against Panama in the second half during the state Class D championship on Saturday at the Visions Veterans Memorial Arena in Binghamton, N.Y. Credit: Craig Ruttle
BINGHAMTON — The Bridgehampton boys basketball team easily could have rolled over.
The Killer Bees trailed Section VI champ Panama by 27 points with 48 seconds left in the third quarter of the state Class D championship game and seemingly had no momentum.
Instead of accepting defeat, Bridgehampton got back to its bread and butter. The Killer Bees leaned on their defense and rebounding and got out in transition to get back in the game. They cut the deficit to five points but couldn’t quite complete the comeback, falling to Panama, 78-69, on Saturday evening at Visions Veterans Memorial Arena.
Jai Feaster had 31 points for Bridgehampton. Carter Brink had 38 points, 10 rebounds and five assists for Panama, which claimed its first state title.
“I couldn’t be more proud of what they did because they left everything on the court,” coach Carl Johnson said. “The hole was just a little too deep for us. I’m very proud of them. In my eyes, they’re champions.”
The hole opened at the end of the first quarter, when Panama began a 17-0 run that gave the Panthers a 26-13 lead with 4:16 left in the half. Panama led by 19 at the break and extended it to 63-36 in the third. Then the Killer Bees got back to forcing stops, pushing the pace and getting into the paint.
Feaster led an 18-2 run by getting to the free-throw line and converting. He was 17-for-21 on free-throw attempts. Xavier Johnson’s layup cut the deficit to 71-66 with 2:22 left, but that was as close as Bridgehampton would get.
“We told them, ‘Remember this moment. This will humble you and keep you hungry,’ ” Johnson said. “I think they’re gonna be more hungry and humble coming into next year.”
Brink made two layups in the final two minutes to help ice the game for Panama (23-2).
“I think he should switch back to basketball instead of football,” Johnson said. “Last year, they lost in the regional final. He was hurt. That was probably the difference in winning a state title and not.”
As the Bridgehampton starters walked off the court, their supporters repeatedly chanted, “We are proud of you!”
“Looking up in the stands and seeing everyone that came to support, letting them down hurts me in a different way,” Feaster said. “I just want to bring it back to them even more.”
Feaster and Jaylen Harding were named to the All-Tournament team. Harding had 15 points and four steals. Alex Davis added 10 points.
Bridgehampton, which entered Saturday on an 18-game winning streak, finished the season at 22-2 and one win shy of its first state title since 2015. Bridgehampton will graduate only two seniors this season — Harding and Miczar Garcia — leading the returning Killer Bees to believe they’ll be back in Binghamton next year.
“We’ll be in the gym tomorrow getting shots up,” said Feaster, a junior. “Our season starts today. This isn’t gonna happen again. I won’t let it.”
