Marcine Allen-Boutwell scored 21 points for Bellport and the Clippers defense shut down visiting East Islip as Bellport won its first-round playoff game 55-43 at home on Thursday night, Feb. 22.
It was a huge game for Allen-Boutwell, the Clippers’ point guard who fractured his leg during the football season—for a second time—and missed the first month of the basketball season. His first game back wasn’t until Jan. 4.
Allen-Boutwell led all scorers and put the exclamation point on the Clippers’ first-quarter play when with time running down, he stole the ball and drove downcourt for a layup.
“I just let the game flow,” Allen-Boutwell said. “It was a long offseason. I fractured my leg twice, so I’m just happy to be back.”
“Marcine was incredible,” Bellport assistant coach Rich Brown said. “He’s our senior. He’s our leader. He’s our captain. He told me two hours before tip that he just wanted to start the game already. He couldn’t wait for the game to be started. He was ready and he led us from start to finish.”
Brown said Allen-Boutwell, the team’s only senior, provides veteran leadership to the team.
“He keeps us calm,” Brown said. “He keeps us poised. He makes sure we get into our sets. He’s our vocal leader. He’s our heart and soul. He means everything to us.”
Allen-Boutwell directed a Clippers’ offense that also saw double-digit scoring from center Joel Ferebee (12 points) and guard Sean Glynn (10 points) and a strong defense that held East Islip to 43 points.
“We really locked in on defense,” Brown said. “We had a few different schemes that we worked on in practice preparing for East Islip and we were able to execute. All credit to the players. They deserve it.”
Bellport’s season ended on Saturday, Feb. 24, when the Clippers, a No. 8 seed, lost to No. 1-seed Smithtown West, 68-37.
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