Bay Shore boys basketball team snaps Floyd's 53-game Suffolk League I winning streak
Bay Shore’s Corey Faines holds the ball while being defended by Floyd’s Sharod Sutton during a boys basketball gaame at Bay Shore High School on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. Credit: Kathy M Helgeson
When the Bay Shore boys basketball team went to the state championship game in the 2023-24 season, coach Gary Williams knew he had a talented group with “undeniable’’ chemistry.
But what that squad didn’t have, according to Williams, was a leader. This year, they have two in seniors Corey Faines and Niall Haughney.
“This year we have Corey, we have Niall, the best captains I’ve ever been around,” Williams said. “They hold people accountable; they hold me accountable.”
Faines scored 10 of his team’s 13 fourth-quarter points to help hold off a ferocious Floyd comeback on Friday as host Bay Shore handed the Colonials their first Suffolk League I loss in four years, 64-53.
Faines finished with 29 points as Bay Shore ended Floyd’s winning streak in league play at 53 games.
“Over the years, we’ve built a program that’s more of a family than a team,” Faines said. “I think we have more of that this year than any other year, so I think our confidence is through the roof.”
Bay Shore (14-3, 13-2) tied a season high with 27 points in the first quarter, stormed to a 40-19 halftime lead against Floyd (16-2, 14-1) and built a 30-point lead with 4:03 left in the third quarter.
Then Floyd senior guards JJ Smith and Sharod Sutton Jr. took over, kick-starting a 21-4 run. Smith scored 12 of his 17 points and Sutton had 16 of his 25 points in the second half for Floyd, which got as close as nine points.
“They bring a lot of leadership and a lot of toughness to our team,” Floyd coach Will Slinkosky said. “Even if we are down — which we have been down in the past — they seem level-headed and they seem to make the right decisions when it matters the most.”
Faines’ three-point play extended Bay Shore’s lead to 12, and it never dipped below double-digits again.
“It takes a lot of being composed, and that’s what we’re good at,” he said. “Every situation that we’ve been put in, we’ve done it all in practice. So it’s just another version of it with another team.”
The Marauders got strong interior defense from Haughney, who had nine points, eight rebounds, four blocks and three steals, and four blocks, 10 points and eight rebounds from sophomore Matt Ehlers.
Junior Alex Ventura also impressed with a couple of timely steals and defensive grit.
“I didn’t think he would break into the game in November,” Williams said. “But that boy worked every day in practice and earned that spot.”
That’s the message from Williams: earn it. Earn the playing time, earn your points. Eventually, it could add up to the Marauders earning another county title.
Michael Sicoli covers high school sports for Newsday. He graduated from Quinnipiac in 2022 and left with a master’s degree in sports journalism in 2023.
