Boys Basketball: Porters take their lumps from bigger schools

Finally, the Greenport Porters will get an opportunity to pick on teams their own size.

After an excruciating four days playing and losing to three larger schools from higher classifications, the Greenport boys basketball team will embark on its Suffolk County League VIII season against Port Jefferson at home on Jan. 6.

It certainly could not come soon enough.

On Monday, the Porters, a Class C team, dropped an 85-62 non-league decision at Lindenhurst, a Class AA team that performs in League II.

On Wednesday, Greenport lost to Center Moriches, a Class B side from League VII, 80-49, in the Anthony Parlato “Help Someone Today” Memorial Tournament at Center Moriches High School.

And on Friday, the North Fork team suffered a 70-57 consolation game defeat to East Islip, a Class AA school that competes in League IV.

The Redmen (4-4) used a quick passing attack with superior rebounding and excellent shot penetration to pull away in the second quarter.

Greg Cassiano, a 6-foot-5 senior center, set the tone with 22 points and 12 rebounds.

The Porters (3-5) never led in the game, moving within 17-15 on a pair of foul shots by Sam Strickland with 61 seconds left in the first quarter.

Then East Islip went on a 14-0 tear that started in that period and ended with five minutes, 30 seconds remaining in the second quarter. James Philbin, a 6-1 senior forward, scored nine of his 16 points during that spurt as the Redmen sprinted out to a 31-15 lead. They took a 39-26 advantage into the locker room at halftime.

Cassiano made sure the Porters could never stage a comeback as he dominated the boards and inside game by connecting for 10 points as the Redmen enjoyed as much of a 22-point lead at 56-34 with 1:01 left in the period.

Greenport had its finest moments in the fourth quarter, outscoring its foes, 18-10, as junior guard Jordan Fonseca tallied 14 of his team-high 17 points.

Freshman guard Ahkee Anderson, who is averaging 15.8 points per game, added 12 points for Greenport and senior center Julian Swann contributed 11.

Jordan Mosley chipped in 11 for East Islip.

The tournament honored Anthony Parlato, the father of former Center Moriches student Anthony Parlato Jr., who played basketball and soccer. The older Parlato, who was vice president of the Moriches Community Center, passed away in April 2014.