Red, Black & Gold Scoreboard: Summer Basketball

Sachem East boy's basketball had a roller coster of a performance Tuesday night against Centereach High School. It started slow before battling back, ultimately falling at the hands of the Cougars, 29-23, in summer league play.

The Arrows led 3-0 early - their final lead of the game - before Centereach exploded for 14 straight points on solid defense and sloppy play on East's behalf leading to turnovers, before a timeout by coach John Finta turned the game around for the time being.

The Arrows fought their way back with some defense, and timley scoring, led by junior Randall Colson, who finished with nine points, went on a 5-0 run to cut the gap to 16-10. Sophomore Shaun Maden also had a strong night from behind the arc, scoring two three pointers. They trimmed Centereach's once commanding lead down to just four with a minute left in the first quarter.

East's hard work paid off early in the second quarter, when it tied the game at 17, the closest since the score was 3-3.

The game turned into a defensive battle, with the score remaining 22-20 in Centereach's favor for nearly six minutes, before they broke it open with four minutes left.

Finta didn't need many words to sum up the team's performce and goal for future success this summer.

"We need to score more than 23 points," he said.

-Matt Calamia