Drew Feinstein is grateful to be back at the end of games.
Mt. Sinai had lost two straight games in single digits to even out his seven-game winning streak, but the 6-3 senior helped the Mustangs back on track in an 82-51 win by Suffolk IV over Westhampton on Thursday.
“It’s a big win that boosts our confidence,” said Feinstein, who had 26 points. “We were a bit down but we should be good for the rest of the season.”
Feinstein had two threes and a fast break slam for Mt Sinai (4-1 Suffolk IV). The fifth-year varsity player averages 28.2 points per game, the third-highest scoring of any public and private boys’ basketball program on Long Island.
He’s usually an opponent’s focal point in defensive plans, but that doesn’t change his approach.
“When I go into the game, I know they’re going to be on me for the whole game,” Feinstein said. “Involve my teammates first. I always know I’ll get my buckets.”
Senior Derrek Shechter is often the second-best scorer, averaging 17.2 points per game, 24th highest in Suffolk. He’s out due to injury, so Dominic Pennzello joined the record as a sophomore.
Pennzello wasted no time in establishing his presence on his home court. In just over a minute of play, he scored two three-pointers to give Mt. Sinai an 8-2 lead. He amassed 19 first-half points and finished the game with 23, including five three-pointers.
“It’s great. I feel like the rim is so wide,” Pennzello said. “Whenever I let it go, I can run back on defense and I know it’s going in.”
He said he doesn’t feel any pressure, even with the added responsibility of not playing Shechter. The 6-2 Pennzello said his role was to come out and grab rebounds.
“We haven’t had our full roster since December 8, when we played Newfield here,” said Mt. Sinai coach Ryan McNeely. ” . . . Since then we’ve been missing one, two, sometimes three guys from our line-up. It lets the other guys fill in the spots and move up. We have a lot of good players.”
Feinstein is confident his team is entering the final stages of his high school basketball career. He pushes for the “really great performance” of 2,000 total points.
Brendan O’Sullivan earned his master’s degree from Quinnipiac in 2022 before moving to Long Island to cover high school sports for Newsday.
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