Floyd beats Ward Melville, gets rematch it wanted against Bay Shore
Dahmarion Moses had 14 points and eight rebounds in Suffolk Class AAA quarterfinal win on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025. Credit: George A. Faella
If Floyd needs any extra motivation in these postseason days, it’s right there for the Colonials.
They can channel the memory of last season’s loss to fellow Suffolk Class AAA boys basketball heavyweight Bay Shore in their all-undefeated title fight. Then there’s the dedication of this season to Darrell Sumpter, their beloved assistant coach, who was killed in a car accident in December.
“So those are definitely external motivators,” coach Will Slinkosky said. “But I really believe that they’re just focused on one task at a time right now.”
The third-seeded Colonials took care of the first task Thursday, breaking open their home quarterfinal against No. 6 Ward Melville behind their defensive pressure in the second quarter and posting a 68-47 win, their 12th in a row.
And that sets them up for the rematch.
Floyd vs. Bay Shore II.
The semifinal against the second-seeded Marauders is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Tuesday at Longwood. Bay Shore claimed the final, 65-59, last March.
“It’s definitely a revenge game because last year they took us out,” Jermaine King said.
The standout senior point guard believes the Colonials (18-3) have a better team than last season.
“It’s going to be definitely another dogfight,” Slinkosky said. “They have great, great talent, great coaching staff. I believe we have great talent, great coaching staff.”
While Floyd wasn’t at its best offensively against the Patriots, it did show off its multiple threats.
Sharod Sutton scored 15 points, Dahmarion Moses delivered 14 points and eight rebounds, King contributed 13 points and JJ Smith provided a huge lift off the bench with 12 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. Jawuan Smith added nine points.
“We’ve got balanced offense,” Slinkosky said.
Ward Melville led 7-6 after one quarter before Floyd turned up the defensive intensity, outscoring the Patriots 19-4 to take a 25-11 lead at the break. The margin rose to 24 after three quarters at 50-26.
“Our defense is our biggest part of our game,” King said.
James Coffey topped Ward Melville (14-8) with 19 points. Neelesh Raghurama added 18.
“Nobody thought we were going to get in the playoffs,” Ward Melville coach Alex Piccirillo said. “We came in second place in League II. The kids battled all year. We got in the playoffs. We got a home game [against Newfield]. We won the home playoff game and we put ourselves into position to get to the final four. We ran into a really good team.”
