Junior high b’ball girls have a time to remember

The girls junior high basketball team has concluded its season in the way it has played all winter — all out until the final buzzer.

Their last home game was on Thursday, March 12 against Bishop McGann-Mercy. The gym there was a flood of green. Mercy had 18 athletes suited up. Shelter Island, with all of its athletes finally healthy, had seven.

JH basketball involves a lot of running. Fast breaks are common. Grab a rebound, tear down the court and look for an open teammate or take it to the hoop yourself. Set plays are rare, but as the season progressed, the knowledge of where to go and when emerged.

Inbound plays are beginning to work. From a “just get open” attitude at the start of the season, the girls are now running “stack” and “box” plays. Girls are calling for the ball and expecting passes. Assists are becoming more common, as is the confidence to take a shot.

Holly Ross and Lily Garrison have been the top scorers of the season, but Emma Gallagher’s ball handling skills and nice court sense is key in making great on–the-fly decisions and helping to direct traffic. Amelia Reiter’s rebounding presence and building confidence will be a boon next year. Lauren Gurney, who has been sidelined through most of the season, was on the court and her speed and confidence was great to see. Ella Mysliborski, who has been a quiet but effective presence on the court sets screens well and is learning to be more assertive on offense. Abby Kotula is beginning to handle the ball more, and is savvy at recognizing when to get rid of the ball to a teammate.

The Mercy fans were actually supportive of all the athletes on the court. As Garrison’s steal and charge to the basket ended in an in-then-out roll around the rim, the crowd gave a supportive “Aaw!” and her half court heave at the end of the first quarter was complimented by the appreciative crowd.

During the second quarter the Island had trouble getting the ball inbounded while under the Mercy basket. Three quick steals and buckets suddenly had the Monarchs up 8-4. Garrison and Ross each got a basket to pull within 2 points, but another three baskets put Mercy back in the lead. Garrison got fouled, sunk the first free throw, but missed the second. Ross jumped high for the rebound and put it back up to score 2 points more.

Melissa Frasco and Genesis Urbaez, high school basketball players, were helping on the clock and score book and took some shots at half time. Coach Brian Becker expressed his appreciation for their help, along with Amira Lawrence.

At the half the score was 22-13, with Mercy in front. In keeping with Coach Becker’s philosophy of not judging effort or success by the scoreboard, the team gathered around him as he reminded them that they would be shooting at a different basket for the second half and smiles abounded as the team took the floor.

The supportive atmosphere in the gym continued during the third quarter. Ross took a sky-hook shot which just missed. “Looked good, looked good,” came the positive feedback from the bench. Ella Mysliborski grabbed a rebound and put it back up for 2 points. “Ella made a basket, Ella made a basket!” was the happy chant from her teammates. Unfortunately, the specter of injuries has dogged this team all season and a few minutes later she was on the bench with a bag of ice on her foot.

In the fourth quarter Emma Gallagher turned up the defense, getting a couple of blocks on Mercy’s offense attempts. Gallagher’s and Ross’s quick hands were successful at dogging the Monarch’s guards as they attempted to dribble. The end of the game had Gallagher and Kotula taking last second shots. They fell short, with the final score 41-20 for the visitors, but there were no sad faces among the Islanders.
Monday, March 16 was the final game of the season against the tall, undefeated Montauk squad.

They are the best team Coach Becker has seen in years, but he commented, “Our girls showed their maturity by adjusting and switching on girls for defense as well as making minor adjustments on offense. They also started to get the concept of a ball fake or pass underneath when defended tightly.”

Through wins and losses, Coach Becker has kept his little squad happy and learning throughout the season. He commented, “I want the girls to know how proud I was that although we got beat pretty good by some teams, the girls never gave up. They kept playing hard and always wanted to play.”