Smithtown took the lead early and the Waves just could not come back, despite outscoring the Bulls in the third quarter 16-14 and keeping pace in the fourth, 14-14 .
It was a close game. The Waves tied it at 22 all in the second, but never took the lead.
Riverhead played a good game on offense and defense, but had trouble connecting on free throws. They went to the line ten times and hit only twice.
The Waves were within two points at the end of the fourth quarter. The Bulls got the the ball with two minutes left, then ran the clock down before getting fouled. Hitting their free throws helped put the game out of reach for Riverhead.
The Bulls' Ryan Hickey was the game top scorer, with 24 points. Markin Austin led the Waves on offense with 16 points, followed by Ryan Bitzer with 14.
The Waves dropped to 3-4 in League III. Their next game is at home on Tuesday, Jan. 31 at 5:45 p.m., when they host Newfield (1-6).
RiverheadLOCAL photos by Peter Blasl
