Whitman boys basketball's Jason Thompson does a bit of everything in win over Sachem East
Jason Thompson of Whitman drives to the basket against Josh Boothe of host Sachem East in the second quarter of a Suffolk League I matchup on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026 in Farmingville. Credit: Michael A. Rupolo Sr.
Whitman's Jason Thompson stepped up to the free-throw line after the 5-6 point guard converted a seemingly impossible layup over Sachem East’s 6-8 center Derek Hansen.
With a three-point lead and just over a minute to play, Thompson missed his first free throw after converting six straight. But instead of just running back on defense, the sophomore burst forward and grabbed the offensive rebound to allow Whitman to chew another 25 seconds off the clock.
“He has that second gear that a lot of kids don’t have in high school,” Whitman coach Chris Morra said. “His acceleration and his first step is as fast as anyone in Suffolk County.”
It’s that type of hustle that Thompson displayed all game long as Whitman battled back to win, 44-41, at Sachem East Tuesday night. He was a pest on defense, recording a game-high four steals along with his 12 points, eight rebounds and three assists.
“I’m small but I got a big heart,” Thompson said. “I’ve got to always fight because I’m on the little side. So I always got a chip on my shoulder.”
Sachem East (8-6) appeared in control for most of the afternoon as the host held a 29-20 lead at halftime. Sachem East sophomore Aden-Amir Jones had a terrific game, rarely losing a rebound as he finished with 15 points, 16 rebounds (six offensive) and two steals.
Hansen — who finished with 10 points, 17 rebounds, four assists and three blocks — and senior Brayden King played fantastic defense in the interior to limit Whitman star senior Jack Bell.
But you can only contain Bell for so long. The senior, who entered Tuesday averaging over 19 points per game for Whitman (11-2), led all scorers in the fourth quarter with six of his 13 points. He added 17 rebounds, four blocks and a steal.
“Honestly, just being used to having that physicality on me in the first half [helped me] to overcome it in the second,” Bell said. “I just wanted to win for my guys.”
Senior Joshua Evans made a significant impact late off the bench, with his first of two fourth-quarter steals setting up junior Jeremy Shaikh’s layup with around three minutes remaining to give Whitman its first lead since the second quarter. Evans also closed out on Sachem East’s would-be game-tying shot.
Shaikh had 13 points and two steals for the Wildcats. Morra praised his improvement, noting his ascension from a junior varsity call-up last year to the standout he is today on varsity.
“Making that jump from JV to varsity is very hard, but with him you’d never know it,” Morra said. “He settled in as a varsity player from Day One on, and he’s become a big reason for our success.”
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.
