Teams help seniors score in final game

Senior Connor Needham makes an aggressive drive to the net. Coach Michael Mundy called Needham “probably our most tenacious player.”

Though a winning season is the goal for nearly every high school athletic coach, sometimes the true purpose of interscholastic sports gets lost in the mix of flex plays, fast breaks and game mechanics. We sometimes need to be reminded why we encourage students to pull on their jerseys and head to the gymnasium day after day.

The players in last Thursday’s match between Shelter Island and Smithtown Christian gave us that rare reminder when they put winning aside at the very end of the game to make sure that Brendan Olinkiewicz and Smithtown’s Andre Oge scored their first varsity points.

Olinkiewicz, who is better known for his friendly demeanor than his basketball prowess, normally plays on the junior varsity squad.But last Thursday, Coach Mundy brought him up to the varsity team because it would be his last chance to compete in a varsity game.Though he got some playing time in the first three quarters, he had yet to score a point. He got his chance – three chances, actually -near the end of the game.

Until the last few seconds of the match, the Indians were simply trying to score their fifth win. It was both teams’ final game of the season, postponed after a snowy day on Wednesday.

The Indians won the tip-off and set the pace just 15 seconds in when Dustin Mulcahy ripped a pass to Connor Needham, who sank a3-pointer. “Connor always seems to hit those key baskets when we need him, said Coach Michael Mundy. “He’s probably our most tenacious player.

His play style must have rubbed off on his teammates, because the Indians’ push was relentless, including four 3-pointers from Mike Mundy complete with a wave to the crowd and a smile after each one. By the end of the third quarter, the Indians had developed a comfortable 18-point lead.

But at the start of the fourth quarter, it looked as if the Indian win might be in jeopardy as the Crusaders found their rhythm and went on a run. The changing momentum had Coach Mundy’s heart racing. “They reeled us in to 6 [points]. That’s a little shaky. We started to sweat it.

But the Indians held on, and when Mulcahy was fouled with just4.5 seconds remaining and a 56-49 lead, it appeared the game was over.

The starting center drained his first free throw, and as the referee was retrieving the ball, Shelter Island called a time out. The move prompted murmurs from the stands, since there was no realistic chance the Indians could lose with an 8-point lead.

After a team huddle, Mulcahy, a senior who scored 133 points this season, told the referee that he was injured and would need a substitute. “The referees could tell what we were trying to do,said Coach Mundy.

The squad headed back on to the court, but instead of Mulcahy,Olinkiewicz approached the foul line as he received a thunderous roar from the crowd.

Olinkiewicz took his shot, which bounced off of the side of the rim and toward the players waiting below, and Nick Kestler grabbed the rebound. When he intentionally passed the ball to Smithtown’s Oge, it became clear there was more than winning on his mind.Kestler fouled Oge, who until then had a scoreless season. Ogedrilled both of his free throws and etched his first points next to his name in the score book.

Kestler threw the ball in bounds to Olinkiewicz, who was then intentionally fouled by a waiting Smithtown player. The crowd was on its feet cheering when he stepped up to the foul line, but fell silent when he began to line up his shot – all eyes were on him. He sent the ball into a perfect arc and into the basket, and the stands exploded into a frenzy.

He sank his next shot, too, and an ear-to-ear smile crossed his face after the final buzzer as his teammates congratulated him, and each other, for their 59-51 win.

After the game, Coach Mundy explained that the move was planned:”Obviously we purposely fouled their man and then they were going to foul our guy — I was happy, I think it was a positive experience for both teams.

He called the Reporter the next day to express how touched he was by the boys’ gestures: “Dustin was having his best game of the season, and he walked off the foul line so Brendan could get on there, recalled Coach Mundy. “Then Nick, who’s only scored 17 points all season — instead of scoring he turned around and threw the ball to the kid on their team who hadn’t scored. Talk about your team concepts: sacrifice, character … that’s why there’s sports in school, it’s about moments like that.

The 2010 Indians’ basketball program may not have a championship trophy to display, but judging from last Thursday’s game, it was a success.