Shoreham-Wading River Boys Basketball Clinches Playoff Spot After Five Years

Shoreham-Wading River capped a midseason surge by clinching a postseason berth with a 78-49 home victory over Babylon, a result that leaves the Wildcats at 15-3 overall and 9-3 in Suffolk League VI and positions them for a top seed in the Section playoffs, Riverhead News-Review reported. The run restores a program that, Riverhead wrote, had not made the playoffs in five years and is now paced by an experienced senior core.

The Wildcats’ turnaround was built across a long stretch of wins. Notable results include a 65-55 victory over Center Moriches on Jan. 27, a dramatic 54-53 road win at Southampton on Jan. 29 that halted a 20-5 third-quarter Southampton run, and the decisive 78-49 home win over Babylon that Riverhead tied to the playoff clinch. Shoreham-Wading River followed with a 69-56 win at Mattituck on Feb. 2 and carries momentum into a scheduled Feb. 6 trip to Port Jefferson at 5:00 pm.

The Jan. 29 win at Southampton exposed the Wildcats’ resiliency. A buzzer-beating fast-break layup by senior center Owen Crowley, fed by senior guard Maxwell Boerum, gave Shoreham-Wading River a 29-20 halftime edge before Southampton rallied. Tyler Lievre’s defensive play in the final seconds — Newsday noted the Wildcats held a one-point lead with 23.7 seconds remaining and Lievre recorded a steal that sealed the victory — illustrated the team’s defensive identity. “We knew this game was going to be all about defense coming in,” Lievre said. “That last play, I saw my opportunity to jump it. That felt great. I mean, this is Southampton — we just beat them. Huge win.” Senior guard James Cook framed the recent stretch as a correction in style: “Those two wins were huge for us,” Cook said. “We had a little slump in the season where I think maybe we got away from playing team basketball. Anyone in the starting lineup is capable of scoring 20 any given night. When we start to play selfishly, that’s when our problems begin.”

Riverhead described the season this way: “This year’s team, dominated by experienced seniors, has finally put the program back on the map after winning its seventh game of the season and qualifying for the playoffs during a recent stretch of wins.” The same report added: “It’s been five years since the Shoreham‑Wading River boys basketball team last made the playoffs. Each year, there were more struggles than successes. But there was always something building among the youth. There were flashes of what could be.”

Roster entries listed in school materials show player names, class and numbers as: Javon Wright — 9 — No. 5; Forrest Tepfenhardt — 12 — No. 11; Christopher Menekou — 12 — No. 1; Zachary Makarewicz — 11 — No. 13; Tyler Lievre — 10 — No. 25; Daniel Laieta — 12 — No. 21; Samuel Eaton — 10 — No. 20; Mohamed Drame — 10 — No. 12; Owen Crowley — 12 — No. 15; James Cook — 12 — No. 2; Andrew Cimino — 12 — No. 4; Maxwell Boerum — 12 — No. 3; Brandyn Bland — 11 — No. 10; Carter Baumeister — 12 — No. 35. A table in the source also includes one incomplete roster row without a listed name or number.

An Instagram snippet linked to the program reads: “Paul Longo takes over a Shoreham‑Wading River team that finished 3‑6 in Division IV last season and missed the playoffs for the first time in 17” — the post is truncated in the copy obtained. The social-media fragment suggests a recent coaching change and a larger context of program rebuilding, but the full post and timeline should be confirmed with the school.

The immediate local impact extends beyond wins and losses. Shoreham-Wading River’s return to postseason play revives schoolroom and neighborhood momentum that fuels attendance, booster activity and youth-feeder interest across the district. For voters and school officials, the Wildcats’ turnaround underscores how coaching, senior leadership and investment in youth development translate into on-court results and community engagement. Next steps for readers: expect official playoff seeding announcements from Section XI and plan for travel to postseason venues if a home seed holds; Shoreham-Wading River’s senior leaders and upcoming matchups will determine whether this season’s momentum becomes a deeper postseason run.