North Shore Sun

Half Hollow Hills West's schedule to date has been pockmarked with blowouts.

But there would be no similar dismantling of the Longwood Lions on Wednesday night in the Section XI Class AA county final in front of a standing-room-only crowd of 4,000 at Farmingdale State.

The Lions led at halftime, at the end of the third quarter and were ahead again halfway through the fourth quarter until a 3-pointer from Tobias Harris gave the Colts the lead for good on the way to a 77-69 win.

"They're the best team we've played all year and it's not even close," Colts coach Bill Mitaritonna said. "They're amazing, absolutely amazing."

The Colts won only three other games by fewer than double digits: Jan. 18 vs. Bishop Loughlin, Jan. 25 vs. Bellport and Feb. 14 vs. Christ the King.

In the first half Wednesday the Colts were unable to fully execute their game plan on either end. Harris, a senior who will play for the University of Tennessee next year, managed only four field goal attempts. On the other end, Mitaritonna said the Colts were focussed on trying to stop Longwood senior Darien Davis. They had a difficult time of it.

Davis finished with a team-high 22 points and led the Lions in running full throttle into the heart of the Colts defense. The strategy worked well enough that Longwood led 39-36 at halftime.

Colts junior Tavon Sledge said Mitaritonna told his team in the locker room, "Don't worry about it. We got it. Don't get worried under pressure and just do what we've got to do."

Sledge's 18 first-half points helped keep his team in the game long enough to be able to make a move. Mitaritonna said he told the Colts they needed to get some defensive stops to get their offense going. That had to happen despite the fact Harris picked up his third personal foul before halftime and his fourth in the third quarter. But, Sledge said, the Colts have been in that situation before and it was not cause for concern.

Mitaritonna said of Harris, "He told me at the end of the half, he told me at the end of the third quarter, 'Don't worry, coach, I got it.'"

And Harris did. Despite his slow start he scored a game-high 25 points. It ended up being enough, barely, to upend the Lions.

"They wanted the game just like we wanted the game," Sledge said. "We just wanted it more and we stepped up."

Added Mitaritonna, "I give them all the credit in the world. They fought us with the heart of a champion. I feel extremely sad that they lost. The both of us should be upstate somewhere playing in the state championship game. Unfortunately they're in the same section."

jwilliams@northshoresun.com