Big win keeps Bellport in playoff picture

The flu bug hit Bellport boys basketball hard in recent weeks, but that didn’t stop juniors Amari Trent and Julian Croke from producing sick performances last Saturday as the Clippers earned an important victory in their quest to qualify for the Suffolk Class AA playoffs.

Trent poured in a career-high 31 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out five assists as Bellport completed a season sweep of Centereach with a 58-47 road win. Croke added 18 points and 14 rebounds, while senior Jordan Simon (5) and freshman Carmelo Flippen combined for nine points to help snap a three-game slide.

“We’ve had the flu running through the team, so it’s made things tough,” said head coach Rich Brown, a 2006 Bellport grad and former standout. “We had to have this game and it wasn’t easy,” he added. “An early morning game on the road, getting on a bus at 8:15 a.m. has its challenges. Amari just put us on his back and Julian was big in the paint.”

Trent had 11 field goals, a pair of three-pointers and three free throws to surpass his previous career high of 30 set on Jan. 3 in a non-league win over Greenport. Last Saturday’s win brought the Clippers back to .500 (6-6) in League III and to 9-7 overall.

“It’s always tougher to face an opponent the second time around,” Brown said. “We wanted to make sure we had a strong start.”

Without senior Elie Malcolm, a shutdown defender and a vital piece at both ends of the court, as well as three additional role players, Bellport built a 17-10 lead after the first quarter and withstood a few quality runs by the Cougars. The Clippers led by 11 at halftime.

“Elie has been battling illness as much as anyone,” Brown said. “He pushed as hard as he could the previous two games and started, but couldn’t finish. Hoping he’s 100 percent soon.”

Senior Nazir Reid-Turner, a football star playing his first and only season of high school hoops, started in place of Malcolm at Centereach and provided toughness in the lane. “He’s our second-leading rebounder and really been a force for us,” Brown said of Reid-Turner.

Bellport heads into the final four games needing two wins to clinch a playoff berth. Losses to league frontrunner Smithtown West, Northport (in overtime) and Smithtown East made the Centereach game a must-win.

“We had plenty of chances against Northport and Smithtown East,” Brown explained. “We didn’t shoot well enough.”

Of their four remaining foes (Half Hollow Hills East, Deer Park, East Islip and West Babylon), the Clippers went 3-1 in the first meetings.

“Our league is hands down the best in the county,” Brown said. “I’m preaching one game at a time. It would be a nice accomplishment if we can get to the playoffs. If we do, I feel we’ll be dangerous because we’re battle-tested.”