Evan Kay had 14 points — all in second half...

Evan Kay had 14 points — all in second half — and 11 rebounds in League II victory over North Babylon on Friday, Jan. 19, 2024. Credit: Peter Frutkoff

Commack boys basketball guard/forward Evan Kay takes “a lot” of pride in bringing energy off the bench. In the Cougars’ game at North Babylon Friday, Kay’s energy converted to winning.

Commack was trailing by seven with 3:30 left in the third quarter, but the 6-1 Kay weathered the storm with back-to-back three-point plays. When Commack led by six halfway through the fourth quarter, it was Kay who got on the ground for the offensive rebound that led to a corner three-pointer for guard Nick Waga.

North Babylon cut its deficit to two late, but Kay hit a layup to go up four with 44 seconds left. When Kay was sent to the line with 5.2 seconds left and a four-point Commack lead, he calmly drained both free throws to ice the game. Kay had 10 points for Commack in the late run.

He finished with 14 points — all in the second half — and 11 rebounds, leading Commack to a 57-51 win in a Suffolk II game.

“I just want to be a team guy, do whatever I can for the team,” Kay said. “If that’s come in and score no points or play defense, set screens, that’s what I want to go in and do. And if it’s go in, score (14) points . . . that’s also what I want to be a part of.”

“(Evan) brings a lot of energy for us,” Commack coach Peter Smith said. “He’s got a will to win, and he’s got a motor that just keeps on going.”

Waga finished with 17 points, including seven in the fourth quarter. Commack (10-3, 8-1) withstood a back-and-forth battle that featured nine lead changes. Kameron Quinn and Daniel Blake-Watson each scored 16 points for North Babylon (7-6, 5-4).

Blake-Watson scored 13 points in the first half, which ended in a tie at 27. North Babylon built a 38-31 lead in the third quarter, but Kay’s consecutive three-point plays and a putback cut Commack’s deficit to 40-39 heading into the fourth.

“I go in and get the two and-ones, and I felt like everyone just built off that and we were able to take control of this game,” Kay said.

The Cougars rattled off a 12-0 fourth-quarter run, capped by Waga’s three, to go up 51-42 with 3:50 left. Kay’s final-minute layup and clutch free-throw shooting with Waga marked the finishing touches of a key road win.

“This group has just been a pleasure to coach,” Smith said. “ . . . They’re always willing to try to improve every single day. There’s just never quit in them.”

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