Shelter Island JV and varsity boys basketball team combine for two big wins

The Indians travelled to Port Jefferson Saturday, January 16, for a League VIII doubleheader, and both the junior varsity and varsity boys teams posted wins.

For the J.V. team, it was their first win of the year. Coach Ian Kanarvogel said, “The entire team showed an immense amount of growth.   We finally got over the hump, coming out on top of a close game. Every player is getting better and that’s the goal of the JV program.”

Kal Lewis was the team’s leading scoring, collecting 10 of his 13 points in the second half.   Eight different players scored in the 42-37 win. The team has been in many of its previous games but finally sealed the deal with an impressive win.

The varsity entered the Port Jefferson game with a 2-2 League VIII record. It was imperative that they play well against both Southold and Port Jefferson and the team accomplished that goal by earning a 62-52 win over Port Jefferson, after beating Southold in a thriller (67-63) earlier in the week.

The Indians jumped out to a 15-6 first quarter lead.   Semaj Lawrence scored 12 of his 15 points in the first half, receiving some great passes from his teammates as he cut down the lane for easy baskets.  The Royals played a triangle and two, as they closely guarded both Tristan Wissemann and Billy Boeklen.

Although the Indians enjoyed a 32-20 halftime lead, they would find out that the Royals were in it, to win it. Both Jack Kimmelmann and Peter Kropf combined for 16 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists.  Coach Jay Card Jr. was pleased by their performances. The Royals shot very well from the foul line, going 19 for 25, which kept them in the game throughout the second half.

Wissemann led the Indians with 18 points and six assists. He did an excellent job finding the open man and grabbed some huge fourth quarter offensive rebounds to help secure the win.  Boeklen added an additional 15 points, including some big free throws late in the game.

The team shot 54percent from 2-point range but only 19 percent from beyond the arc.  Lawrence also had a game high 16 rebounds, 12 at the defensive end.

The game was closer than the final score would indicate, with the Royals cutting into the lead in the final period.  Nevertheless, the Indians kept their composure and earned a solid team win.

The Island boys now turn their attention to the Greenport game, which will be played at home on tomorrow.   The JV game is scheduled for 4 p.m. and the varsity contest tips off at 5:45 p.m.