James Mendoza's 17 points, 10 rebounds lead East Islip's victory over Smithtown West
Some sounds in the sporting world can be a real mood-killer, much like the thud a rim makes after a missed free throw. East Islip senior James Mendoza heard that thud twice on Jan. 10 in a close loss to Deer Park. To avoid hearing that frustrating sound moving forward, Mendoza has shot 100 free throws every night since that day, and Wednesday night offered him a chance at silencing that sound.
Against Smithtown West in East Islip, Mendoza posted a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds while going 7-for-8 from the free-throw line to lead his team to a 55-42 win. He also blocked two shots in the win for East Islip (9-3), which leapfrogged Smithtown West (9-3) for third place in the Suffolk League IV standings.
“I feel like I let my team down in that Deer Park game, so I’ve been in the gym working on my foul shot because I knew that one day it would come down to that again and today it did,” Mendoza said. “Hard work pays off.”
When paired with his physicality and finesse in the paint, Mendoza’s success from the free-throw line makes him one of the league’s most dominant centers. That was on display all Wednesday night, as East Islip’s first bucket of the night was a tough, put-back layup through a foul by Mendoza four minutes into the game.
Just over a minute later, Mendoza made a nifty move in the low post and finished through another hack before yet again converting the free throw to give his team its first lead of the game.
The game saw eight lead changes and three ties through the first three quarters. In the third quarter, needing some breathing room, Mendoza twice gave his team a two-possession lead. Halfway through, he made a pair of free throws, and with 1:32 left, he put up a hook shot that touched every part of the rim before flushing in to make it 39-34.
“James has a great knack for the ball inside . . . so any day where that is going on, he’s having a great day,” East Islip head coach Rob Schwender said. “He’s an excellent interior player.”
Once the fourth quarter came, Mendoza helped ice the victory. With 6:23 left, senior guard John Talt found Mendoza open for the layup to go up 43-39. Four minutes later, senior guard Justin Adames dumped it down to Mendoza in the post, who banked it in to give his team a 10-point cushion — its largest of the night.
Talt was instrumental in the win as well with 16 points, nine rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block.
“Today was a huge win,” Talt said. “We wanted to get back on track. We lost a couple games early in the season, and we’ve always known we were better than how we’d played. I think today showed that.”
Senior guard Kenshin Brown added 10 points in the win.
Smithtown West junior forward Casey Burton scored 13 points while junior guard Michael Cascione and senior center John Giotis added 10 points apiece.