BOYS BASKETBALL
Cougars Fall In Opening Round
Lindenhurst offensive blitz overpowers Commack in League AA competition
By Danny Schrafel/dschrafel@longislandernews.com

For the Commack Cougars, their hopes for a lengthy postseason were dashed quickly by the hard-charging Lindenhurst offense.

The Division II champions knocked the Cougars out of the League AA playoffs in a 72-53 final during the opening round of competition on Feb. 19.

Lindenhurst came out of the gate quickly, racing to a 17-4 lead by the end of the first quarter, but Commack recovered in the second, outscoring Lindenhurst 19-12 and drawing the score to 29-23.

However, Lindenhurst slammed the door in the third, outscoring the Cougars more than 2-to-1 in the quarter punctuated by a 12-2 run. They built a 19-point lead and matched the Cougars’ 18 points in the fourth period to settle the game.

Matt DiDomenico led the Cougars with 16 points, followed by Dalton Suprina, who scored three 3-pointers and a free throw in knocking down 10 points for Commack.

The Cougars secured their spot in the playoffs on Feb. 5 by defeating William Floyd, 67-47, in a game where five Cougars scored in the double digits and guaranteed themselves at least a .500 record in league play. Commack rode a three-game winning streak to earn their berth into the playoffs, defeating Patchogue-Medford, 56-45, on Feb. 3 and Sachem East, 52-39, on Jan. 29.

Undefeated Longwood would later knock Lindenhurst out during the class AA semifinals. Longwood fell to Half Hollow Hills West in the Class AA finals on March 4.

The Cougars’ play during the year also earned four players accolades from around Suffolk County. Suprina, Kyle Kilmetis, DiDomenico and Matthew Forman were recognized by the Suffolk County Coaches Association for outstanding play during their League I season. Suprina received all-league and all-conference nods, and Kilmetis was named to the all-league roster. DiDomenico receive an all-league honorable mention, and Forman was named to the all-county scholar athlete team.
Commack ended the year 6-7 in League I and playoff competition and 11-7 overall.

With several players graduating in June, the Cougars will have the benefit of a strong junior varsity program to draw from. Commack’s JV basketball team finished the year with a 15-2 record under the tutelage of coach David Moran, who was recognized as JV League I Coach of the Year. The team finished the season tied for first with Brentwood.