Island varsity boys rack up back-to-back wins
Double your pleasure, double your fun.
The Shelter Island boys varsity basketball team beat the odds, earning hard fought home victories against Smithtown Christian and Stony Brook on back-to-back nights this past weekend.
On the two previous meetings away from the Rock, the Indians lost by 19 and 14 points respectively. But the home court has been good for the Island boys, winning six of eight games, losing only to Bridgehampton and Southold but in highly competitive games.
On Friday night, January 27, the Indians defeated Smithtown Christian, 62-57, outscoring them 21-10 in the final quarter. The Islanders won the game from the foul line as well, shooting 20 of 24. Junior Co-captain junior Tristan Wissemann connected on 12 of 14 foul shot attempts, scoring a game total 18 points. He also led the team with 13 rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Senior Co-captain Sawyer Clark played a superb game, scoring a season high 16 points and playing tough defense. After sitting out part of the fourth quarter because of a blow to the head, Clark hit a huge 3-pointer from the baseline.
But it was junior Billy Boeklen who came ready to play, hitting four big 3-pointers on his way to a game high 19 points. Semaj Lawrence also was a major factor in the game, scoring 9 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Senior Johnny Sturges was held scoreless, but picked up two big offensive rebounds, as well as a key steal.
Once again the tenacious junior guards, Peter Kropf and Jack Kimmelmann, played outstanding defense and disrupted Smithtown Christian’s offense throughout the fourth quarter.
During a timeout early in the fourth, Coach Jay Card Jr. changed his defensive plan and told his guards to come out and put more pressure on the ball. It worked beautifully, holding the opponents to only three field goals in the final quarter. In the locker room after the game, Coach Card said, “If you weren’t in the gymnasium, you missed a great high school basketball game.” He loved the aggressiveness and unselfish play of his team.
Sawyer Clark driving the baseline.
On Saturday afternoon, the Stony Brook School, last year’s League VIII Champions and Class “C” County Champions, visited the Island for what would prove to be even a bigger win for the Indians. Shelter Island had not beaten the Bears for more than 15 years, and Stony Brook came in with an impressive 10-1 league record, losing only to the undefeated Killer Bees from Bridgehampton.
The two teams had met only 11 days earlier and the Bears full court pressure enabled them to cause numerous turnovers on their way to victory.
So Coach Card’s strategy was simple — show a slightly different press offense and beat the Bear’s 1-2-2 full court pressure. It worked like a charm and the Indians jumped out to an early 14-7 first quarter lead.
But the Bears are a very good team, with strong guard play and they were not going to go away easily. This game was a nail biter from start to finish. But in the end, the Indians prevailed, posting a stunning 56-51 victory over the second place Bears.
Wissemann led all scorers with 24 points, including six of seven from the free throw line. Wissemann also led the team with 14 rebounds and six assists. Lawrence played his best game of the year, scoring 12 points, grabbing eight rebounds, and handing out four big assists.
Boeklen played solid for a second straight game, scoring 12 points, two steals, and three assists. Clark saved his best for the fourth quarter, scoring all six of his points, including four of five from the foul line. There were also excellent contributions from Sturges, Kropf and Kimmelmann. The team had a season low of just eight turnovers against a very good defensive team.
The home crowd provided the team with tremendous support and encouragement, appreciating the efforts of all seven varsity players. The Indians played hard on both ends of the court. Coach Card stated, “We are starting to play as a team.”
