Pierson's Wilson Bennett Leads Extensive Postseason Honors List For Pierson Boys Basketball; Napier, Reed Lead Southampton Boys Basketball

The Pierson boys basketball team’s magical run ended a game short of its goal of winning a New York State Class C Championship, as the team fell to eventual state champion Newfield in the state semifinals. But it was a historic season nonetheless for the Whalers.

Pierson won its first Long Island and Suffolk County “C” titles since 1979 and, thanks to a buzzer-beater by Leo Butler, defeated Alexander Hamilton in the Regional Finals to advance to the state semis.

Wilson Bennett was the Whalers’ most consistent player throughout the season, and his accolades back that up. He was named First Team All-State, Long Island Class C/D Player of the Year, League VI Most Valuable Player, All-County, All-Conference and All-League.

Cecil Munshin was named to the Final Four All-Tournament Team, was an All-State Honorable Mention and was All-County, All-Conference and All-League. Charlie Culver was named All-League, and Butler earned All-County Academic honors.

Will Fujita, the team’s head coach, was named Long Island Class C/D Coach of the Year, and the Whalers were given the Section XI Sportsmanship Award.

Leslie-Ann Samuel was the Pierson/Bridgehampton girls basketball team’s lone All-League selection. P.J. Ramundo, a Pierson student-athlete on the East Hampton/Pierson/Bridgehampton boys indoor track team, earned All-League honors in the 3,200-meter race.

The East Hampton/Pierson boys swim team went 4-2-1 in League II, 4-3-1 overall, during the regular season, then placed third at the League II Championships, where a number of the teams student-athletes earned All-League honors.

Tenzin Tamang was All-League individually in the 200-yard individual medley and 100-yard butterfly and was named the team’s Most Valuable Player.

Aidan McCormac earned All-League honors in the 50- and 100-yard freestyles, Nicky Badilla earned All-League honors in the 100-yard backstroke, and Daniel Piver was All-League in the 500-yard freestyle and was given the team’s Coaches Award.

Badilla, Piver, Tamang and McCormac earned All-League honors in the 200-yard medley relay and Badilla, Piver, Owen Robins and Emmet McCormac earned All-League honors in the 400-yard freestyle relay. Jack O’Sullivan was given the team’s Most Improved Award.

Alex Davis was named All-League for his efforts during the Bridgehampton boys basketball team’s season, which included winning a Suffolk County Class D Championship with a victory over Smithtown Christian. The Killer Bees then lost to Chapel Field Christian School in the Regional Final.

Kristopher Vinski was named to the All-Academic team.

The Southampton boys basketball team defeated Babylon to win the Suffolk County Class B Championship this past winter, then went ahead and made a deep run in the Section XI Tournament before losing to Class A Champion Kings Park in the Small Schools Championship, and then lost to Friends Academy in the Long Island Championship, which ended the Mariners’ season.

LeBron Napier and Derek Reed were each named to Newsday’s All Long-Island Second Team, All-County, All-Conference and All-League. Ryan Smith earned All-League and All-Academic honors, Andrew Venesina was named All-League, and Naevon Jenkins was named League VI Rookie of the Year and All-League.

Herm Lamison was named League VI Coach of the Year, and Ricky Taylor and Nick Epley split honors as Co-JV Coach of the Year.

The Southampton girls basketball team also made the playoffs after an 8-5 League VII campaign, 12-7 overall. Madison Taylor was named All-County, All-Conference and All-League; Gabriella Arnold was All-League; Carli Cameron was All-League and All-County Academic; Hallie Beeker was All-County Academic; Juliette Archer was named the team’s Unsung Hero; and Daelyn Palmore was named Co-League VII Rookie of the Year, with Port Jefferson’s Camryn Spiller.

Bridget Ferguson represented the Southampton girls indoor track team at the New York State Indoor Track and Field Championships after she finished All-County in the high jump. She was also All-League.

Vivienne Archer also was All-League, in the high jump, Kyla Cerulo was All-League in the 55-meter dash and Katie Terry was All-League in the triple jump.

Terry also was one of four runners, along with Jaylen Maloney, Sofia Oliveri and Kyla Cerulo, who earned All-League honors in the 4x200-meter relay. Archer, Maloney Jeorgiana Gavalas and Gillian Switochia earned All-League honors in the 4x400-meter relay.

Billy Malone earned All-Long Island and All-Division honors in the 1,000-meter race while competing for the Mariners’ indoor track team. Harrison Gavalas also earned All-Long Island and All-Division honors in the 300-meter dash.

Brad Bockhaus became Southampton’s first wrestling county champion since 2015 when he defeated Elwood-John Glenn’s Alon Alkeali, 5-4, for the 189-pound county title at the Suffolk County Division II Championships. The victory earned Bockhaus his first-ever automatic bid to the New York State Division II Championships, where an injury cut short his run there.

Alex Boyd (132 pounds), Adrian Gonzalez (138) and Cole Fox (152) all placed third in their respective weight classes to earn All-County honors. Riley Lenahan (172) and Johan Moraxtitla (285) missed counties due to injuries, but Lenahan was an undefeated league champion and Moraxtitla was All-League.

Southampton’s boys and girls indoor track teams and the girls basketball team earned Scholar-Athlete honors. To earn the recognition, 75 percent of each team was required to hold a GPA above 90.