Royals Notebook: Boys Basketball Close in on Playoff Spot, Girls Searching for First Win

Varsity Boys Basketball: A great week from the Royals began with a commanding 66-35 win at The Ross School on Jan. 31 as took a 22-5 lead at the end of the first quarter and never looked back. Senior Braden Colucci led the way for the Royals, scoring a career-high 19 points and teammate Terrell Rose nearly missed recording a triple double, finishing with 16 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds. Anthony Lanieri added 14 points for Port Jeff.

On February 3, the Royals hosted first place Stony Brook (8-1 in League VIII) and battled the Bears to 45-45 tie after three quarters only to fall short in the end, losing 59-52 at Port Jefferson High School. Lanieri was the Royals leading scorer in the loss to Stony Brook, scoring 17 points, while Rose (13 pts.) and Colucci combined for 25.

Port Jefferson climbed within one win of clinching a playoff spot on February 4, making the long bus trip out to the North Fork to defeat Southold 71-55 as the Royals offense registered a season-high in points scored. Rose was an offensive dynamo, leading all players with 25 points, pulling down 12 rebounds and dishing out seven assists. Colucci scored 17 points and Lanieri had an impressive double-double, scoring 11 points and leading all players with a game-best 15 rebounds.

The Royals, which host Greenport (8-1) on Feb. 8 at 6:15 p.m. and play at Pierson (0-8) on Feb 11 at 6:15 p.m are now 6-4 in League VIII and need to win only one of their four remaining league games to qualify for the playoffs.

Varsity Girls Basketball: A long bus ride followed by a short ferry trip put the Lady Royals on Shelter Island on Jan. 31, resulting in a 71-28 loss to the Indians. Overlooked in Port Jefferson’s defeat was the steady play of the Royals leading scorer Anastasia Lennon (10 points), who was the only Port Jefferson player to reach double digits. The Royals held their own in the first quarter, trailing only 14-9 before Shelter Island put the pedal down and took a 35-16 lead by halftime.

In one of their most competitive and well-played games of the season, Port Jefferson battled Southold on February 4, ultimately losing a closely contested 51-42 decision at home. The Royals (0-7 in League VIII, 0-9 overall) saw Lennon score 11 points in the loss and Port Jefferson was able to outscore the First Settlers in both the second and fourth quarters. If Port Jeff hadn’t fallen behind 16-4 after the opening quarter, they may have had their best chance at snapping a season-long nine game losing streak. The Royals play at The Ross School at 6:15 p.m. on Feb. 7 and at Mercy (6:15 p.m.) on Feb. 9.