Thursday, October 1, 2026
Amityville entered the Suffolk Class AA boys’ basketball playoffs with nearly three weeks to chew on consecutive losses.
Then in span of 10 days, the Warriors, with junior guard Amir Dickerson leading the charge, took out No. 4 Bellport, No. 1 Wyandanch and finally No. 3 Smithtown West to claim their first county championship in five years.
Dickerson put the finishing touch on fifth-seeded Amityville’s title run, scoring 28 points including the go-ahead basket with less than three minutes remaining in Friday afternoon’s 60-57 victory over the Bulls before a jam-packed crowd at Farmingdale State College.
“We wouldn’t be denied and it feels great,” said Dickerson, who scored 14 points in each half. “We’re a close-knit team on and off the court and we really wanted this.”
Senior Dajon Clinton added 11 points, senior Taki Mason 9 and junior Wes Flythe 8 for the Warriors, who improved to 16-7 and advanced to face Baldwin for the Long Island Class AA supremacy on Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. at Farmingdale State. Junior Michael Cascione paced Smithtown West (18-5) with 22 points, 10 of which came in the fourth quarter when it battled back from a nine-point deficit to pull even.
“I’m so happy because these kids practiced and worked so hard all season,” Amityville head coach Jack Agostino said. “I’m very proud that we got this done as the 5-seed. That’s never happened here before, to win it all as that low a seed.”
Agostino’s coaching counterpart in the championship game was his younger brother Mike.
“They were probably the best-coached team we’ve faced all season,” said Jack, who’s in his second coaching stint with the Warriors (1997-2014, 2022-present), has more than 530 career victories and is assisted by another brother, Anthony. “We knew this was going to be a battle right down to the wire and that’s exactly what it was. I wasn’t shocked.
“I’m thankful the kids found a way and that we get to practice for at least three more days together,” he added.
Mason’s three-pointer to close the third quarter gave the Warriors a 45-40 halftime lead after the game was deadlocked at 28 at intermission. Baskets by Clinton and Flythe to open the fourth gave Amityville its largest lead at 49-40, but the Bulls responded with a 12-3 run to create what would be the game’s final stalemate.
Dickerson scored seven of the next nine points, including a traditional three-point play off a feed from sophomore guard Allen Dodson-Isabell and an end-to-end rush capped by a floater in the lane.
Dickerson, who has taken his game to an elite level under the guidance of former Amityville star and former NBA player A.J. Price according to Jack Agostino, poured in 31 points in the 68-50 quarterfinal win at Bellport Feb. 26 in what was the team’s first game in 19 days. Mason poured in 16 and Flythe chipped in 10.
Then came a much-anticipated showdown with Wyandanch, which beat Amityville twice during the regular season—Jan. 14 on a buzzer-beating trey, 57-56, and Feb. 6, 72-59.
In a back-and-forth classic semifinal March 3 at Longwood High School, Dickerson (27 points) nailed the decisive shot with 10.3 seconds remaining for a 64-63 win.
