Bridgehampton Boys Basketball Forfeits Latest Game But Season Will Continue

Despite having to forfeit its last game due to not having enough players, all is well with the Bridgehampton boys basketball team, according to its head coach, Ron White.

After its best performance of the season in what ended up being a 55-46 home loss to the Ross School on January 15, Bridgehampton was scheduled to host Southold for a League VIII game on Friday night, but it never took place.

“The varsity basketball game scheduled for 6 p.m. tonight has been canceled,” Bridgehampton Principal Michael Miller said in a voicemail sent out throughout the district early Friday afternoon. “The season will resume on January 24 at 4:30 p.m. at Smithtown Christian.”

White said on Sunday that Friday’s situation was an isolated incident and that he simply didn’t have the requisite number of players due to injuries and illnesses. He doesn’t foresee any issues going forward.

“Things happen,” he said. “We’re limited in terms of bodies already for our team, but this was an isolated situation for this year.”

Bridgehampton (0-6 League VIII, 0-8 overall) held a 24-22 lead at halftime in its game against Ross, one of the few times it’s held a lead in a game this season, but the Ravens were able to turn things around in the second half en route to their first victory of the season. White said with four freshmen and one junior in the starting lineup playing all 32 minutes this season, it’s a big learning experience for all involved.

“It’s been tough because, obviously, Bridgehampton has been a very dominant force for a long time. We’re treading in new territory this year, but I expect this team to be highlighted again in the near future,” he said. “All of these teams that we are playing are top heavy. So they have a lot of seniors. So to see these guys fight and be resilient as they have been, I’m extremely proud.

“I got to tell you, out of all of my time coaching, I’ve never had this much fun,” White added. “It’s a learning environment for everyone, for the players and for me. I’m learning how to coach, how to communicate. We have some very young freshmen who never played before this season, not in junior high or PAL, and for them to jump into the role of a varsity player, they’ve been taking it on the chin and getting knocked down, but picking themselves back up. It’s really a fascinating and humbling experience.”

As previously mentioned, the Killer Bees will get back into the swing of things this Friday, January 24, at Smithtown Christian with their next home game against Greenport on January 29 at 6 p.m. Their next home game after that will be the final varsity basketball game ever played in The Hive on February 5 against Shelter Island at 6 p.m., with the program moving into its brand new gym next season.