Southold boys basketball's CJ Bailey, Travis Sepenoski help team clinch playoff berth
Travis Sepenoski of Southold elevates past Jerry Webb Jr. of Smithtown Christian in the first quarter of a Suffolk League VII matchup on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026 in Southold. Credit: Michael A. Rupolo Sr.
Ben Zablotny banked in a three from the left side. Southold was sitting on a comfortable 15-point cushion with 6:53 left. Then Smithtown Christian made things very uncomfortable for the Settlers.
A ticket to the postseason for both teams was up in the air inside Southold’s gym in Thursday’s Suffolk League VII boys basketball game.
The Settlers grabbed it, holding on for a 45-40 victory.
They got 13 points and nine rebounds from junior shooting guard CJ Bailey and 10 points, 11 rebounds, four steals and three assists from senior point guard Travis Sepenoski. They’re headed back to the Suffolk Class C playoffs after a year’s absence.
“It’s definitely great to be back,” Sepenoski said. “We won the county [championship] two years ago. Last year, didn’t get it done. Stuff happens. New team. This team, we have a younger, [up-and-coming] team.”
They’re up to 10-5 overall and 8-3 in the league.
“It’s always a privilege to be able to play beyond the season, and we’re not going to take it for granted,” coach Will Fujita said. “But we have a lot of work that we need to do in order to tighten things up before then.”
Smithtown Christian was without 6-3 forward Vaughn Beresford and was hurt on the boards. The senior may be out for the season after suffering an ankle injury in the previous game.
The Knights received 16 points from sophomore guard Luke Ruggiero, but they remained one win away from a Class D berth after falling to 9-5 overall and 7-4 in the league.
“We won one game [combined] in the summer and the fall league,” coach Daniel Skaritka said. “My expectations were like, ‘Oh boy, OK, maybe a development year.’ But these boys put in a lot of work.”
Caleb Calder scored the final six points from in close to cap a 12-0 run, cutting Southold’s advantage to 43-40 with 51.6 seconds remaining.
Southold turned the ball over, but Smithtown Christian had a miss inside. Then Kyan Olsen clinched it with two free throws at the 15.3 mark.
But the Settlers had done a lot to win this game by jumping in front 19-8 after one quarter. They led 39-24 at halftime and 39-26 after three.
“We were snapping back into it,” Bailey said of surviving that final minute. “I don’t think we were fully into it. But at the end of the day, a win’s a win.”
