Sports
West Islip's Reign Comes To An End
Lions nine-year run as county champs ends in 12-4 loss to Smithtown East.
West Islip’s reign as the kings of Suffolk County lacrosse came to an end Tuesday as the Lions lost 12-4 to Smithtown East.
It had been a decade since West Islip had lost a Suffolk playoff game, which ironically came at the hands of a team from Smithtown in 2003.
In early April, Smithtown East defeated West Islip for the first time in East’s history. In that game, the Bulls jumped out to a 7-3 halftime lead in route to a 13-6 win.
Tuesday’s game mirrored the April contest as Smithtown East grabbed an early 4-0 lead and never looked back.
“West Islip is a legendary program and we told our guys not to rely on what we did a month and a half ago,” said Jason Lambert, Smithtown East head coach. “We came out and played with a lot of confidence today.”
When the Lions did get scoring opportunities, Smithtown East senior netminder Brian Balkam had the answers and made 19 saves.
The Lions finish the season 12-6 and for the first time in 10 years, the Suffolk Class A Championship plaque will call some place other than West Islip home.
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