Island boys defeat Ross on the road
The Shelter Island School boys’ varsity basketball team posted a much needed win at Ross on January 24 by a score of 67-58.
This was a game of streaks, as both teams fought back from deficits, gaining slight leads, only to see their opponent go on a similar streak. This began early in the first quarter as the Indians jumped out to a 7-2 lead, but Ross went on an 8-2 scoring advantage for a 10-9 lead.
Shelter Island committed seven turnovers in each of the first two quarters. Most of these mistakes were self-inflicted, but Ross also had their fair share of turnovers. The Indians led at halftime 26-24 but Coach Jay Card Jr. wasn’t pleased with the his team’s defensive effort allowing too much penetration of their zone defense.
But things got worse in the third rd quarter. The Indians found themselves trailing 41-38 with just 1:50 remaining in the period. That’s when Coach Card decided to turn up the heat on defense, playing a full court, man-to-man defense. In less than 2-minutes, the Indians went on a 10-2 run and held a 5-point lead (48-43), entering the fourth quarter.
In the final period, the Indians came out on fire. At one point, they went on a 16-4 tear, building up a 64-47 advantage. Not only did the team cut down on their turnovers, but their pressure defense resulted in numerous steals and plenty of turnovers for their opponents.
Coach Card was pleased with the contributions of both Erik Thilberg (15) and Nico Seddio (13), who combined for 28 points. Both played with confidence and attacked the basket on offense, grabbing several key offensive rebounds.
Senior Luke Gilpin was the team’s high scorer with 20 points, before fouling out late in the fourth. Dan Martin was also in double figures with 11 points and got some key steals on defense. Walter Richards rebounded well and scored 6 points and Danny Boeklen also added a field goal.
Shelter Island secured its third victory overall and now has a 2-5 record in League VIII.
The team is beginning to show signs of growth and maturity. They had just battled both Southold and Bridgehampton in closely contested games.
Obviously, the team misses starting guard Lucas Quigley-Dunning who is recovering from an ankle injury.
Coach Card is hoping that the team will play well against Pierson at home and keep the winning streak alive.
The game is tonight, Monday, January 29 at home. Tip off is 5:45 p.m.
