After seeing what in-league Rival William Floyd did to formerly unbeaten Brentwood the week prior at home, the Ward Melville Patriots were looking to emulate the same thing as they would have a back and forth affair with the League I Powerhouse.
Before the 4th quarter even began, the Patriots hung tough as they kept the game tied through the first half and even took a two point lead entering the final stanza.
The Patriots – who were at .500 before the start of this contest – looked like this was the team they hoped to be this year as they had all their big time guys performing at a high level.
It felt like they finally had everything going their way, all they had to do was close out the final 10 minutes and they would hand Brentwood a second loss and crush their in-league rivals dreams of catching Floyd and winning the league title.
But, unfortunately for Ward Melivlle, the final 10 minutes was all Indians as they dominated the majority of the 4th quarter. They outscored the Patriots 23-16 and escaped the upset threat by a score of 65-60.
Lorenzo Beaton was having his way when it came to scoring the ball as he was able to score a game high 21 points for the Patriots, leading to some frustration on defense by the Indians as they had no answer for the Senior Forward for the majority of the game.
Devin Lynch had a nice game as well for the Pats as he scored 12 points while his teammates Neelesh Raghurama and Luke Chitkara would also reach double figures with 10 points each.
The Indians saw a massive performance by Devin Clarke as his big game was a major part of the Indians crucial run late in the game. He made his presence felt by recording a double-double with 19 points and 13 rebounds.
Clarke was supported by Devon Snell who knocked down four three-pointers and recorded 16 points and 5 rebounds in the contest for the Indians.
Josh Ramos and Marquese Dennis were a big part of why Brentwood came from behind to win as well as both men were in double figures while also getting their teammates involved.
Dennis had 10 points while also pulling down 7 rebounds that led to Brentwood scores and kept the game close. Ramos also had 10 points to match Dennis while also having a team high 4 assists as he was able to find the open man on his team and really helped the offense get into a rhythm late in the game.
With that crushing defeat, the Patriots now hold a surprising 7-8 record at the time of this publication.
It is definitely surprising to see a Ward Melville team have a sub .500 record this late in the season, they have played close games against both Floyd (lost 43-49 on January 18th) and this one at Brentwood definitely play a role in their record being where it is.
With only 5 games left and no Brentwood or Floyd left on their schedule, the Patriots will look to turn it around as they have some winnable games down the road against Riverhead, Central Islip, Longwood and Walt Whitman.
They will have one last big test to show everyone they are for real as Patchogue-Medford will play the Pats on the final day of the regular season in what possibly could be a win and in to the playoff scenario for the talented Ward Melville group.