Farmingdale boys basketball's Mateo Morales records double-double in win over Freeport
Mateo Morales of host Farmingdale drives to the basket during the first half of a Nassau boys basketball game against Freeport on Jan. 7, 2026. Credit: Kelvin Loarca
The Farmingdale boys basketball team led by just five points against Freeport heading into the final eight minutes. For the first time, Freeport had outscored the hosts in a quarter and momentum swung toward the Red Devils.
Dalers coach Jim Pastier told his players to relax. The game was well within reach, he reminded them, and they could take it back.
“With all that chaos in the last few minutes of that quarter, we only lost the quarter by two,” Pastier said. “Put that all aside, and let’s right the ship right now and move forward.”
Farmingdale proceeded to march its way to a 46-34 win, outscoring Freeport 13-6 over the fourth quarter Wednesday in a Nassau I matchup. Senior Mateo Morales, who led all scorers with 12 points, hit a three-pointer and followed it with a layup on the ensuing possession early in the fourth quarter to give Farmingdale (8-2) some breathing room.
“We just have to stay aggressive, we can’t get too stagnant,” Morales said. “That’s when we struggle and our offense stalls out a little bit. We have to come out the gates and hit those shots.”
In a defensively-driven game, offensive rebounds made a significant difference. Morales grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds, providing seven of the Dalers’ 15 offensive rebounds compared to Freeport’s six. Morales also had three assists, two steals and a block.
“Whenever I step on the court, I try to be the toughest out there,” Morales said. “I think offensive rebounds are not really a skill; it’s just effort and toughness.”
“Mateo is a reflection of our coaching staff and how we’d love every kid to come out and compete,” Pastier said.
Farmingdale junior Amari Powell added seven points and nine rebounds, including five offensive rebounds that twice saw him absorb a hard fall to ensure the Dalers had possession. He also converted an and-1 layup off an assist from senior Dylan Coleman — who added four points, eight rebounds, two steals and a block — with 1:04 remaining to extend Farmingdale’s lead to 10.
Freeport junior Oniel Suero Reyes had six points, seven rebounds and five assists for the Red Devils, adding seven steals. His persistence helped Freeport (2-7) successfully press Farmingdale and force turnovers. Sophomore Jaiden Daniels added four points, three steals and a block, and junior Tyler Joseph had five points and two steals. Junior Ethan Richardson had a team-high nine points and seven rebounds.
“I thought we showed some grit, that we have some fight in us,” Freeport coach Daryl Johnson said. “We’re not going to quit. Whether we go into their building or go into theirs, they’re going to get 32 minutes of hell.”
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.
