Lions Cruise Past North Babylon

Following its “statement” on Wednesday and with Suffolk powerhouse Smithtown West on the horizon, Friday’s game against North Babylon could have been the classic “trap game” for the boys lacrosse team.

But the Lions quickly diffused any concern of a letdown and defeated the Bulldogs 20-5 in a matinee affair at the high school. The win moves West Islip to 5-1 on the season and sets up the team for its next three games — all away from the friendly confines of Lions Path — against Sachem North, the aforementioned Smithtown West and a non-league contest against Ridgewood High School in New Jersey.

With the score tied at 1 midway through the first quarter, attackman Anthony DeLuca beat North Babylon goalie Alex Lopez with 4:38 remaining in the first to give the Lions a 2-1 lead. West Islip would score five more times to race out to a 7-1 lead.

Ahead by six early in the second quarter, West Islip appeared to lose its focus and North Babylon scored three consecutive goals to cut the Lions’ lead to 7-4.

During a timeout called by Head Coach Scott Craig, several players including senior captain Tom Moore and senior Brendan Smith could be heard verbally chastising teammates. The leadership shown by the two — most notably Moore — was something that likely pleased Craig as he had spoken of the need for more leadership from his team’s leaders on offense.

Following the timeout, West Islip responded with four consecutive goals — all from Smith — to stretch its lead to 11-4 at the half.

In the second half, Craig rotated in a number of his second and third team players and the Lions kept up the pressure outscoring North Babylon 9-1 in the game’s final 24 minutes.