Derek Reed's 31 points power Southampton to Suffolk BCD title
Southampton guard Derek Reed takes the steal in for two points against Pierson in the Suffolk Class BCD final on Tuesday at Longwood. Credit: George A Faella
Derek Reed remembered the last time Southampton played Pierson earlier this season.
The junior guard called it "one of the worst games I’ve ever played" and wanted to make up for it in the Suffolk BCD boys basketball championship game rematch at Longwood.
Did he ever.
Reed came out firing on Tuesday night, scoring eight points in the first quarter and 20 of his game-high 31 in the first half Southampton beat Pierson, 87-54, to advance to the Suffolk small school championship game Friday against Class A champion Kings Park.
"Every coach wants a kid like Reed," Southampton coach Herm Lamison said. "He’s only a junior and he’s got serious upside - he’s just scratching the surface where he is right now."
That a 10-point win over a local rival in the middle of the season constitutes a make-up game tells you just how dominant Southampton (19-2) has been. The team hasn’t lost a game in 2022 and is hoping to ride that momentum all the way to a state title.
"We only look forward to the next game on the schedule, Nassau, Suffolk, it doesn’t matter," Lamison said. "You have to come ready to play basketball."
Southampton had been off for eight days, and Lamison was pleased with the way his team played right from the start. Southampton led 42-19 at halftime after outscoring Pierson 25-10 in the second quarter.
"The first half was telling for us because we knew we wanted to get out to a good start because Pierson is a good team," Lamison said. "They’re ranked number one in the state among ‘C’ schools for a reason."
The Whalers (18-2), who will play Carle Place on March 9 for a trip to the state tournament, were led by Wilson Bennett’s 20 points.
Southampton also got big contributions from LeBron Napier, who scored 23 points, and Andrew Venesina, who had 13.
After the completion of the Suffolk tournament, Southampton will play the yet-to-be-determined Nassau B champion, also on March 9, for the Long Island championship.
"Every game we look to win regardless of who our opponent is," Napier said. "We prepare for everybody the same with hard work in practice and making sure our game is spot on."
Gene Morris joined Newsday's sports department in September 2012 and covers high school sports. He earned a journalism degree from Stony Brook University in 2010.
