Max Rentsch carried the Huntington boys’ basketball in the first half and then it was the Kevin Drake Show the rest of the way as the Blue Devils toppled Newfield in a Suffolk Class AA playoff game, 50-38. Huntington plays at No. 1 Brentwood on Friday night at 6 p.m. in the county quarterfinals.
After many years wandering in the wilderness, the Huntington boys’ basketball program has returned to the limelight. The Blue Devils have won 12 games this winter under first year head coach Ken Parham.
Playing before a crowd of 300, including a large student cheering section, Huntington fell behind early, 8-2. But the Blue Devils rallied with a 16-2 run to grab an 18-10 lead after eight minutes. With Rentsch sinking shot after shot, the onslaught continued in the second frame.
Huntington carried a 15 point advantage into the locker room at halftime. Yet, despite leading 29-14, Parham knew the game was far from over and he was right.
Newfield started to methodically chip away at its deficit. While the Wolverines began dropping their shots, their defense also started making things happen, forcing turnovers all over the court. Although Huntington didn’t quite panic, the lack of offense and the ineffective defense was enough of a concern that Parham called several timeouts to try and regroup his team.
Newfield managed to cut Huntington’s lead down to the mid-single digits before the Blue Devils finally woke up from their slumber and outscored the Wolverines over the final eight minutes, 17-14.
With Huntington Superintendent Jim Polansky and high school Principal Brenden Cusack among those in the crowd, the Blue Devils needed every bit of their 2022 magic to put the game away.
Rentsch said the key to winning was “playing extremely hard and trusting in our teammates. Our student section was once again the sixth man.” But that statement is only somewhat true.
Huntington's' real “sixth man” has been Aidan McNulty and the teenager proved his worth again, coming up with a remarkable eight steals in the game along with two points and a rebound.
Drake played the finest game of his Blue Devil career with 20 points, eight rebounds, an assist, a steal and a block. The senior was four-for-six from beyond the three point arc; three-for-seven from two point range and two-for-two from the free throw line.
Despite the incredible performance, Drake took no credit for himself. “The key to winning was definitely our team defense along with the preparation in practice leading up to today’s game,” he said. “Coach [Parham] emphasized preparing us for their offense in practice. We knew what was coming and knew exactly what to do to stop it. We brought the intensity and the energy needed to win a playoff game and executed. It feels great and tomorrow we’re back at it, looking to prepare for Brentwood.”
Rentsch had 16 points, 12 rebounds, two assists and four blocks. Without him, Huntington goes nowhere and everyone in Suffolk knows it. That’s how important he is to the Blue Devils.
Playmaker Dylan Coleman scored five points, but more importantly dished out six assists along with two rebounds and two steals. “We played for each other tonight,” he said. “The excitement and energy from the fans helped us from start to finish.”
While Clayton Ward scored just one point from the free throw line, the senior pulled down six rebounds and contributed an assist. Ward said “playing aggressive defense” is what carried the Blue Devils to the playoff victory.
Hunter Borenstein was another essential element in Huntington’s first post-season win in many years. The junior tallied six points, two rebounds, three assists and two steals. He shot 50 percent overall. Henry Vohs came off the bench and pulled down a key rebound and also had two steals.
The Blue Devils will need to dramatically ramp up their game if Huntington is to challenge Brentwood (17-2) on Friday night. The top seed in the county tournament, the Indians are ranked among the best teams in the state this winter.
The game will be livestreamed on the Brentwood Athletics YouTube channel, which can be found by clicking on this link:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz3ExdJ8AWgo9_BgySycPGQ
All adults should purchase their tickets to the game online at https://gofan.co/app/school/NYSPHSAAXI. Students can purchase discounted tickets at the door for $5.
