Bridgehampton's run ends with loss in boys basketball state Class D semifinals

BINGHAMTON — Alex Davis sat and stared out at the court. Jai Feaster was a few seats down, head in his hands, the sadness of the moment washing over him.

This era of Bridgehampton boys basketball — this six-year Davis/Feaster era — had just concluded Saturday in the state Class D semifinals with a 62-50 loss to Bolton Central, a first-time final four participant from Section VII.

A few minutes later, under the stands and outside the locker room at Visions Veterans Memorial Arena, Davis was at peace with the ending, two wins short of a state championship after the team fell in the state final here last year.

“I’m really not leaving sad,” the senior guard said after scoring a team-high 17. “You see guys crying. I’m not really crying because I know I did all I could.”

Feaster will get to where Davis was. The senior point guard just needed a little more time.

“I’m hurt down to my core,” Feaster said. “I felt this pain before, so it’s a little easier to control it now. But I want to go cry somewhere now, for sure.”

The Killer Bees brought along a 20-2 record and a 15-game winning streak. But they ran into a very good team.

“They hit us with their hardest hit,” Davis said. “We couldn’t come back. Playing in this tournament, you honestly have no idea who you’re playing. … You don’t get that many days to watch film.”

Bolton Central, from tiny Bolton Landing, just outside of Lake George, moved to 25-1.

It had a 6-3 combo guard, Jaxon Egloff, who scored 23, a 6-foot swingman, Jace Hubert, who contributed 17, and a burly 6-4 big, Liam Foy, who was a big factor with 16 points, 10 rebounds and brick-wall defense.

So the Eagles will be the ones tipping off at around 10 here Sunday morning against Sackets Harbor Central of Section III to determine the state’s best team in D.

“No basketball team in Bolton history has ever made it here,” Egloff said. “You see all the fans cheering for us. It’s just such a surreal feeling. It’s just amazing. We’ve been dreaming about this for years now.”

Bridgehampton’s cause was hurt when Xavier Johnson suffered a groin injury in the first quarter. And fellow junior forward Jordan Harding was playing with a groin injury. He also found foul trouble.

“Injuries got us,” said Feaster, who scored eight before fouling out with 1:09 left. “Fouls got us. We got very unlucky. You can’t blame it on any particular person, any particular thing.

“A lot of things went wrong, and that’s life. It happens. You can’t always win them all.”

Last March, the Killer Bees rallied from 27 down late in the third quarter of the state final against Panama, cutting it to five before falling.

This time, they were down 41-29 late in the third, then rallied again.

Jordyn Turner, who posted 10 points and 11 rebounds, blocked a Bolton shot and took it the other way for a layup.

Then Feaster made a steal, and Davis fed Turner for another layup. The lead was down to 44-40 with 6:19 left.

But Egloff countered with a three, launching a 13-5 run. Foy, with six points during that stretch, capped it with a short shot from the lane — 57-45, 2:25 left.

“It just wasn’t our day,” Bridgehampton coach Carl Johnson said.

The Killer Bees trailed 16-13 after one quarter and 30-25 at halftime.

“It’s always disappointing losing that last game,” Johnson said. “If I had to grade our season, I would (still) say it’s an A-plus.”

Davis departs with a program-record 1,900 points. Feaster leaves with 1,655. They helped Bridgehampton claim four Suffolk championships and reach the two final fours.

“It’s going to go down as one of the best (eras) in Bridgehampton history,” Johnson said.

It will certainly be different next school year. Davis will be playing college football at Springfield and Feaster will be playing college basketball for a school yet to be determined.

“This team is still going to be a great team next year,” Davis said. “They just need someone on the team that’s going to step up and take that leadership.”