JV girls winding up season looking for wins
The girls on the Shelter Island School junior varsity basketball team are having a fun and successful season. It’s been challenging and filled with growth, but also tempered with many wins along the way. As of January 29, the team was 6-6 with four games left.
The past two weeks the team has played games which were blowout wins (Stony Brook) and difficult losses (Mattituck) and some where everything seemed to be clicking against a competitive opponent (Port Jefferson).
In the January 26 Mattituck game, all athletes saw playing time, mirroring Coach Mike Z. Mundy’s increasing confidence in his younger players’ skills and poise. His starting five — Melissa Frasco, Lily Garrison, Domily Gil, Madison Hallman and Amira Lawrence — ran hard the first quarter, challenging the quick Mattituck offense, and battling through the nearly constant press. Domily Gil is one of the most competitive players on the team and her willingness to scrap for the ball is contagious; she is the athlete most likely to vocally encourage her teammates.
Isabelle Topliff is playing “school ball” for the first time and her quickness on the court coupled with a competitive spirit is paying off. Giving point guard Hallman a break, Topliff’s bobbing ponytail seemed ever-present as she stayed close on defense and wrestled for loose balls.
In the second quarter, Nichole Hand showed her developing skills as she dribbled through traffic to take a shot. Freshwoman Maria Carbajal is warming to the high school game; her crisp passing at the start of the second half proved she knows how to move the ball well. Bianca Evanglista went in for Gil in the third quarter to give her a rest. Hands at the ready, she focused well on the ball, battling to get a shot off against a tall defender.
“We’re getting better at reading the defense, but finishing on offense is still a problem,” Coach Mundy said. “Shooting against defense is tough, especially for the younger girls. Either we rush the shot or wait too long. But we’re getting better with more experience.”
Lawrence was the top scorer and rebounder in the Mattituck game, hauling down eight. Garrison led in steals, snagging four.
Despite the distinct height advantage of the Tuckers, even diminutive Topliff and Lyng Coyne were each able to aid in the rebounding department.
Coach Mundy is concentrating on rotating players in to give them experience. With an abundance of guards, he’s training each player to be flexible and play where she is most needed at a moment’s notice. Guards turn into forwards and even centers are called on to switch out as needed. That came in handy during the January 24 game at Port Jefferson. The team traveled with only seven athletes: Frasco, Hallman and Evangilista had to be at the National Honor Society’s induction.
“The first three minutes were horrible,” the candid coach recounted. Missing key starters, the team took time to settle in. But once they did, Garrison (18 points) and Lawrence (17 points) dominated the scoring to pace the team to a decisive 41-26 win.
Sixteen baskets came off turnovers. “Lily had 10 steals, many of which she converted to layups,” Coach Mundy said. “We’ve been practicing this all season and it was great to see it work so well in a game situation.”
With the end of the season in sight, the girls are looking forward to a couple of key rematches. The next home game is February 2 against Pierson/Bridgehampton, which should be a competitive match-up. Away at Southold on February 7, they hope to relive the down-to-the-wire win against the Clippers. The final home game and senior sendoff will be Thursday, February 9 against a tough McGann-Mercy squad.
Come cheer on the team and send seniors Frasco, Gil and Lawrence out in style.
