The biggest win in Port Washington boys basketball history was secured when Cole Reyes made the clutch free throws that needed to be made because that’s what Cole Reyes does and why he always gets the ball in those situations.
Only then it wasn’t.
The win was then secured when Kenny Daly made a huge defensive play that caused a Half Hollow Hills East turnover on the right sideline with .4 seconds left because Kenny Daly has also been making plays like that his whole life.
Only then it wasn’t.
Then the win was secured when all five Vikings players guarded the rim like football defensive backs watching a Hail Mary, as a desperate RedHawks final attempt was knocked away.
It was over a few times and then it wasn’t, before finally the hundreds of Port Washingtonians who made the trek to Farmingdale State College Sunday, most of whom weren’t alive the last time their town’s team was in this Long Island Championship game, could finally exhale and celebrate.
In a game it led nearly from the opening tip but never could quite put away, Port Washington squeezed by Half Hollow Hills, 51-49, in the Class AAA matchup.
Led by the outstanding play of junior forward Izaias Clemmons (16 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots), the Vikings advanced to the state semifinals in Binghamton, where they’ll play Jamestown on Thursday night at 7:45 p.m.
“Spending more time with these guys for another week is great,” said Reyes, the senior leader and the player his team trusts the most. “We just wanted to win for our town and for our team so we can keep practicing. We don’t want this to end.”
It didn’t end, but it sure came close. The Vikings (20-4) led from the first quarter on thanks largely to the play of Clemmons, the junior with sweet feet and soft hands who time and again got inside the RedHawks defense to score big buckets.
“Every game, I think it’s my last game, and that mindset gets me through every single game,” Clemmons said. “That helped me push through it today; if my coaches think I can do it, I know I can do it.”
“That’s this team, it’s a different guy every night,” said Port Washington head coach Sean Dooley. “That’s what makes it so special. One night it’s Shanahan, one night it’s Reyes, one night it’s Daly. Tonight was Izaias’ night. He was phenomenal.”
Port Washington led by eight at halftime, and as Reyes (nine points, four rebounds) and Ryan Shanahan (six points, 10 boards) continued to make smart plays and make shots, the Vikings extended to a 12-point edge midway through the third. Everybody chipped in, from Billy Edelstein hitting two big 3-pointers to Chase Kovar and Daly playing solid defense.
But down a dozen, the Suffolk champs turned up the pressure, attacking Port ballhandlers in the backcourt and forcing six turnovers in the third quarter alone.
Suddenly, a double-digit lead was sliced to two, 32-30, late in the period.
“We started getting a little lazy, a little fatigued, that made it hard,” Dooley said. They’re good, they’re long, athletic and quick, and we knew at some point they’d make a run.”
The rest of the game was played at a frantic pace, with fans from both sides screaming at all times. Every time Half Hollow Hills got close, someone from Port stepped up to make a shot.
With 28 seconds left, Reyes was fouled, and with the crowd at a fever pitch, he calmly sank both free throws.
“My teammates trust me, my coaches trust me, and the town trusts me,” Reyes said. “I just had to take deep breaths and make them.”
After Half Hollow’s Skyler Ellis (20 points) made two free throws, the Vikings attacked the pressure and Jimmy Gannon found Chase Kovar for a driving layup that put Port up four.
But it wasn’t over because Ellis drilled a three-pointer that made the score 50-49 with 4.4 seconds left.
Shanahan carefully inbounded to Reyes, who made 1 of 2 FT’s. Then Daly stymied a RedHawks rush up the court by stepping up to stop a Half Hollow Hills East guard and forcing a turnover with .4 seconds left.
The celebration was on until an errant pass deflected off a Vikings player and out of bounds, leaving .1 second on the clock.
“Longest .4 seconds of my life,” Dooley laughed.
But finally, with the RedHawks only having time for a desperation tip-in, the ball was knocked away and the victors could truly exhale.
“We made it a little closer than it had to be, for sure,” Shanahan said. “But we had to stay locked in until the buzzer went off and we did.”
Now, the dream season continues as Port seeks its first state title in boys basketball ever. A win Thursday would put them in Friday’s final, and Dooley seemed awestruck at all that’s happened the last few weeks.
“I don’t think winning the county championship last week has sunk in yet, so this (win) definitely hasn’t,” he said. “The whole town is amazing, even the people who don’t come. I’m getting texts, I’m getting calls, people are stopping me in the supermarket, people who don’t know me but have watched this run.
It’s unbelievable, it’s special and I’m so glad it’s not ending yet. I just love this team so much.”
