Bay Shore boys basketball's Corey Faines has double-double in Suffolk Class AAA title win
Corey Faines of Bay Shore holding the championship plaque minutes after defeating Floyd the Suffolk Class AAA championship on Saturday March 7, 2026 in Stony Brook. Credit: Michael A. Rupolo Sr.
From the opening tip, it was evident that this game meant more to Corey Faines.
And in the final minutes, the Bay Shore senior came up big.
Faines had 20 points, 13 rebounds, four assists and two steals to lead No. 3 Bay Shore to a 61-58 win over top seed Floyd in the Suffolk Class AAA boys basketball final Saturday at Stony Brook University.
It’s the Marauders’ 17th title. They last won the championship in 2024 when Faines was a bench player who didn’t see much playing time.
“My role was way different in 2024,” Faines said. “I was watching them play and seeing how the environment is. Being in it and playing a big role feels even better.”
With 3:50 left, Faines skied to catch a pass on the baseline. While floating in the air, Faines flicked a bounce pass behind him to Niall Haughney, who finished a layup through contact to give Bay Shore a 57-51 lead.
“Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Niall’s man coming to double me, and instantly, I knew he would be wide open under the basket,” Faines said. “I caught it midair, made the quick decision to pass it and he finished it.”
Sharod Sutton and Jesse Durham kept the Colonials in it, closing the gap to three points with five seconds left. Sutton’s running three-point heave bounced off the rim as time expired.
Bay Shore (19-4) will face Baldwin in the Long Island championship at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Farmingdale State.
The 6-8 Haughney tapped the opening tip to Faines, who threw down a two-handed slam. King James stole Floyd’s ensuing inbound pass and found Faines for another dunk. Bay Shore’s next trip down the floor ended with Faines draining a three-pointer to take a 7-0 lead and force a Floyd timeout 44 seconds into the game.
“He’s the blueprint of everything we’re trying to do in Bay Shore,” coach Gary Williams said. “He took basketball seriously two years ago. He stopped playing volleyball and focused on basketball. He’s worked tirelessly on his game and every game he’s getting better.”
“He makes all of us better,” senior forward Trey Blair said. “Through every game, every practice, he encourages us. He’s a big reason why we’re here right now.”
Bay Shore’s full-court press stifled Floyd early, allowing the Marauders to open a 22-11 after the first quarter. When the Colonials applied their own press in the second quarter, Sutton and JJ Smith led an 18-2 run, sending the game into halftime tied at 33.
Durham had 18 points, Sutton had 16 points and Smith had 12 points for Floyd (20-3).
Faines was held scoreless after his 7-0 run to start the game until 5:57 left in the third quarter, when he, Blair and James found a rhythm. Blair had 14 points, five rebounds and two assists, James had 12 points, nine assists and five rebounds and Haughney had 10 points, five rebounds and four assists.
“This is what we’re built for,” Williams said. “I’m so proud of them. They executed flawlessly.”
Although the Colonials felt the heartbreak of losing in the Suffolk final for the third straight year, their season is not over. Floyd received an at-large bid into the state tournament and will face Corning-Painted Post (Section IV) at 3:15 p.m. on March 15 at Visions Veterans Memorial Arena in Binghamton with a trip to the semifinals on the line.
“We can still win a state championship,” coach Will Slinkosky said. “We started this game not really focused. It takes a tough group of kids to take that start and respond the way that they did. They just don’t have that quit mentality.”
Matt Lindsay is a high school sports reporter who joined Newsday in 2022 after graduating from Stony Brook University.
