Shelter Island JV basketball girls putting it all together
The Shelter Island girls JV basketball team continued a streak of home wins with a 51-19 victory over the Port Jefferson Royals on Monday, February 1.
They had defeated Port Jeff earlier in the season, but Coach Mike Mundy was particularly pleased with this win.
“We’ve had a lot of close games,” Coach Mundy said. “There’s been nothing but improvement this season and it’s great to get a win.”
Shelter Island had only six players available for the game; Bianca Evangelista injured her ankle at the Pierson game last week and will be out for the season. But Coach Mundy rotated his players, knowing he could count on the athletes to be flexible and comfortable in any role needed.
At the end of first half the Islanders held a commanding 25-8 lead. During the third quarter Port Jeff more than doubled their scoring. However, the Islanders scrappy defense led to two shot clock violations since the visitors just couldn’t get a good look at the basket.
Melissa Frasco’s trademark hustling defense was combined with her outside shooting to get a bucket for the home team. Lily Garrison hauled down a rebound, then went end-to-end for a layup. Colibri Lopez had a nice steal, and Serina Kaasik got the ball back to her on a crisp pass, notching a nice assist as Lopez hit the shot to bring the score to 35-17 at the end of the quarter.
The fans in the bleachers, parents and fellow students alike, were happy to see the teamwork and cheerleaders kept the spirit flowing.
In the 4th quarter the Blue and Gray continued to run its effective offense. Maddie Hallman at point guard became more confident in her shooting, slicing though the defense in the paint to score. Frasco hit a fast-moving Kaasik with a great assist and the senior netted 2 more points. Domily Gil, who isn’t afraid to be physical on defense, set some great screens, allowing Lopez to get to the basket. Lopez grabbed a rebound then went up strong for the shot. It dropped for 2 as she was fouled. It was a great sign to see the aggressive offensive mentality.
The Royals just couldn’t match the Blue and Gray’s energy. During the last quarter, the Islanders shut down the Royals for the first five minutes, holding them to 2 points. Garrison answered with a 3-point shot and Kaasik sealed the deal with a beautiful assist to Gil with 8 seconds left to break through the 50-point mark, the most points scored by the team this season.
Coach Mundy was pleased with the effort. He attributed the high point total to several things. “Everyone is shooting and scoring,” the coach said. “We’re becoming more effective at actually running an offense.”
Indeed, all six players scored 6 points or more, with Lopez the top scorer with 12 and Garrison with 11.
Coach Mundy also said the growth of the players over the season has contributed to the teams fine showing. He mentioned that Lily Garrrison, the only 9th grader on the team, is coming out of her shell as a player. As she gets used to playing a faster game at a higher level, she’s starting to play to her potential.
The season is winding down. Wednesday, February 3 at 4:30 p.m. the team will face Greenport/Southold at Greenport. The final game of the season and senior send off will be here on the Island Saturday, February 6 at noon.
