For the first time in many years, Shelter Island’s boys varsity basketball team has vanquished first-place Greenport, its rival across the channel.

“This was a great team win,” Coach Mike Mundy said in the locker room after the game.

The boys earned a hard-fought 46–42 victory hosting Greenport on Friday, January 20. The Indians had not beaten the Porters on the hardwood since the late 1990s, a span of more than 25 games.

The Porters entered the game tied for first place with Stony Brook, both with a 5–1 league record. The Indians were at the other end of the standings and coming off their first league win earlier in the week, having beaten Smithtown-Christian, 54–46, to gain some much needed confidence.

Knowing one’s opponents is one key factor in developing a good game plan and JV Coach Jay Card provided that much needed information, having scouted Greenport earlier in the week. Varsity Coach Mike Mundy had two days to prepare his team for the contest. The preparation and hard work paid off, as did great support from the Indians’ dedicated fans.

The Indians opened the game playing a man-to-man defense. The Porters capitalized by getting good penetration for some easy baskets. Greenport jumped out to a 15–9 first quarter lead. After switching to a 3–2 zone defense, the Indians successfully limited their opponent’s scoring opportunities and set their own pace. Greenport managed just two field goals and 6 second-quarter points. Matt BeltCappellino hit a huge shot at the buzzer, cutting Greenport’s lead to 2 points (21–19).

Both teams continued to play strong defensively during the third quarter, scoring 9 points apiece. The Porters enjoyed a brief 5-point lead until senior tri-captain Alex Graffagnino hit his second of three 3-point shots to help bring his team back from that deficit. Alex had a season-high 11 points, shooting 3 for 5 from downtown (in the 3-point range).

The fourth quarter was full of excitement and missed opportunities, especially for the Indians from the foul line. The team shot only 38 percent from the foul line, the same percentage from the 2-point area, which is a better statistic, and an impressive 56 percent from 3-point range.

Two big calls, one a technical foul, the other a deliberate or intentional foul, went against the visiting team. They proved costly for Greenport. Nevertheless, the Indians played smart, using their time-outs wisely, staying on rebounds and getting to loose balls throughout the deciding fourth quarter.

After the game, players asked that credit go to the cheerleaders and the fans for their tremendous support. They said it had made a big difference.

Once again, senior tri-captain Jimmy Read led the team with 15 points, 8 rebounds and 5 steals. He also did a great job on defense against Greenport’s leading scorer. Sophomore tri-captain Matt BeltCappellino scored 13 points, played solid defense, and had two great blocked shots early in the game. Sophomore Nathan Mundy played very well as did juniors Hunter Starzee, Myles Clark and Chandler Olinkiewicz.

ANOTHER WIN MONDAY

The team racked up its third consecutive win, by a lopsided score of 63-17, when it hosted the Knox School from Stony Brook on Monday, January 23.

The Indians jumped out to a big 42–5 first-half lead led by Nathan Mundy, who scored 15 of his career high 20 points during the first 16 minutes of play. In fact, Mundy hit seven of his first eight shots, including two for two from three-point range. Alex Graffagnino also continued his hot shooting, scoring all of his 9 points in the first half.

Myles Clark collected 12 points and a team high 9 rebounds. Hunter Starzee shot 3 for 4 from the floor, scoring 7 points and was credited with 4 steals.

During the second half, the Indians refrained from any type of pressure defenses and slowed their offense down in order to keep the score more respectable. All seven varsity players scored and the team outscored its opponents 21–12 during the final two quarters.

Chandler Olinkiewicz grabbed 5 rebounds, dished out 3 assists and scored 4 points. Matt BeltCappellino led the team with 5 steals and Jimmy Read had a game-high 5 assists.

The team had a season high 15 steals and 19 assists. They also continued their good shooting from the 3-point area, hitting on five of 10 attempts. The Indians committed a season low three turnovers during the 32-minute contest.

The Indians begin the second half of their league schedule on Friday, January 27 hosting Southold. Game times are at 4 p.m. for the JV and 5:45 p.m. for the varsity.

A big “hometown” crowd could make a big difference and help the team avenge an earlier season loss to Southold. Hope to see you all at court-side.