Boys Varsity Basketball: Ross momentum rolls over Indians
There wasn’t one empty space in the school parking lot for the boys’ first home game of the year on December 16, against Ross. Those many Indians fans got the taste of victory with the JV squad’s first game of the season, a win over Ross, but were left with a bitter taste in their mouths after Ross thoroughly routed the varsity boys.
ROSS’ 3-POINTERS DROWN INDIANS
The Cosmos (formerly the Ravens) won the tip off and sent the ball downcourt, putting their first 2 points on the board 10 seconds in. Ross set the tone right away while playing a tight defense, blocking shots and forcing turnovers. But Jimmy Read (with a team-high 11 points) showed that the Indians were there for a battle when he dove out of bounds to save an Indians ball, sending it back to senior Kyle Johnson who put it up for 2 points.
Ross started gaining the momentum that they held for the majority of the match when Cosmos’ Brandan Pettaway (who scored 16 points) drilled a 3-pointer with about 3 minutes left on the clock, then scored an easy layup on a fast break the very next play. That prompted the Indians to call a timeout, but as soon as the players hit the court again, Ross stole the ball and ran for another layup. Liam Chaskey (who scored a game-high 31 points) followed that up with a 3-pointer.
Island senior Andrew BeltCappellino got the Indians fans on their feet with a 3-pointer of his own with just 9 seconds left, but Chaskey silenced their cheers with another 3-pointer at the buzzer, ending the first quarter 24-8, Ross. “As soon as they came out on us hard we got a little shell-shocked,” said varsity Coach Mike Mundy. “We never regained our composure.”
The tight Ross defense forced a number of foolish Indians passes that went straight out of bounds and the Cosmos’ shots from the outside were relentless — they hit four more 3-pointers by the end of the half. “You just can’t give up seven 3’s in the first half, that’s 21 points in 3’s,” said Coach Mundy. But the Indians were resilient and were able to score 14 points in the second quarter, including one play in which John McEnroe fought the ball into the hoop after four consecutive SI rebounds on the same play. By the end of the half the score was 42-22, Ross.
Sophomore Chandler Olinkiewicz came off the bench in the third quarter and “seemed to shut down Ross’ big guy [Pettaway] a little bit by playing some good physical defense,” said Coach Mundy. The Indians’ coach also noted a strong performance from freshman Matt BeltCappellino in the second half. But the Indians had too many factors working against them, including a poor free throw percentage, 10 for 20, compared to Ross’ 8 for 11 percentage, and Ross kept racking up the points. The Cosmos started running the clock down with 3 minutes left in the fourth quarter and ended the game with a comfortable 77-47 victory.
“A lot of balls went our way,” explained Ross Coach Kelly McKee. “We were hitting our shots, our outside shots especially, and when those are falling things go well.”
“We’re capable of better than that,” commented Coach Mundy. “I’d say they were a better team than us, but not a 30-point-better team than us. They’re a team where if we play our best and don’t make foolish mistakes, we’re running with them and possibly beating them. But they had a good night — they were clicking.” Indeed, said Coach Kelly: “Our boys played well — I never expected that type of performance.”
The Indians also lost their non-league game on Saturday against Carl Place, 64-51. Their next game is at home against East Rockaway on December 29 at 1 p.m.
JV BOYS WIN SEASON OPENER
Those who came out to watch the JV boys post a victory in their first game of the season did not go home disappointed on December 16, when the Indians soundly defeated the visiting Cosmos.
“The team came out and played well together,” said JV Coach Jay Card. Nearly every player put at least some points on the board. The top scorers were Riley Willumsen, who led the team with 8 points and was followed closely behind by Hunter Starzee with 5 and Myles Clark with 5 (including the game’s only 3-pointer, during the second quarter).
“The match was almost completely decided in the third quarter,” explained Coach Card. The boys stepped up their game and played a strong half court defense in the second half, earning themselves repeated steals and turnovers right from the start of the third quarter. “That’s when we put it out of reach.”
The Indians allowed Ross only 4 points in total in the second and third quarters. Once the win was safely in hand by the fourth quarter, Coach Card pulled back the defense to let the Cosmos stretch their legs a little bit, and though their opponents scored 15 points, it wasn’t enough to overcome the early-game deficit and the Indians took home the win, 36-27. “I think we were definitely the better team,” Coach Card said.
Though the team lost two of its strongest players when Matt BeltCappellino and Chandler Olinkiewicz graduated to the varsity squad this year, the strong first game bodes well for the boys who had a dismal season last year.
The boys had a harder time in their non-league match-up with Carl Place on Saturday. Their opponents played a strong half court press, giving the Indians few shot opportunities in the first half. Furthermore, said Coach Card, “We kept making some fundamental mistakes,” though they’re issues that can be addressed in practice.
The Indians had more opportunities on the hoop during the second half but suffered from a poor shot percentage, a continuing problem for the boys.
“We were antsy or something; we never settled in,” said Coach Card. By the final buzzer the score was 44-15, Carl Place.
The score of yesterday’s game against Westhampton was not available by the time the Reporter went to press. Their next game is at home against East Rockaway at 11:30 a.m. on December 29.
