Bees beat Indians in championship game

Although the Shelter Island’s boys varsity basketball team’s season came to an abrupt halt, the memories will last for a lifetime.

The Indians lost to the Bridgehampton Killer Bees in the Class D Championship game at Suffolk Community College at the Selden Campus on Saturday, February 13 by a score of 80-53.

It was the third time this season the Indians lost to the Killer Bees. Nevertheless, Shelter Island finished third in League VIII with an impressive 8-4 league record and an overall record of 11-8 for the 2015-16 season.

The Indians were confident they could play the Killer Bees tough, but needed to get out of the gate strong. Bridgehampton had other ideas, shooting the eyes out of the basket and starting the game with a 9-0 run.

There’s a reason Bridgehampton is the defending New York State Class D champions: They are talented and well coached. During the first half of the game the Bees moved the ball crisply, demonstrating patience,  getting good looks and making them count with a high percentage of scores throughout the first half.

The Indians managed to cut into the lead early in the second quarter, but Bridgehampton’s Elijah Jackson, who had a game high 27 points, answered the challenge. He combined with Josh Lamison for 30 of their team’s 47 first half points.

But the Indian’s did not quit, playing their rivals to a 33-30 Killer Bees advantage in the second half. Shelter Island was led by senior Tristan Wissemann, who scored a team high 19 points. Wissemann finished his three-year varsity career with 1,240 points, placing him in third position in school history.

Senior Billy Boeklen had 11 points, Jack Kimmelmann and Semaj Lawrence each scored 9 points apiece. Boeklen had an outstanding senior year, averaging just under 17 points per game ending his career with 594 points in 2.3 years of varsity play.

Coach Jay Card Jr. was extremely proud of his team’s effort throughout the season, praising his players for their hard work during the spring, summer and fall seasons.

Many of his players were involved in out-of-season leagues, which enabled them to make significant improvements individually and as a team.

Coach Card wanted to thank the school’s cheerleaders, scorers, chaperones and loyal fans for all of their support throughout the winter season.

This was the third time in four years that the boys varsity team qualified for the playoffs under the leadership of both Coach Mike Mundy and Coach Card.

Coach Card thanked his seniors — Tristan, Billy, Peter, Jack, Henry and Max.

With a tear in his eye, the coach spoke to these seniors, as well as to Lawrence, conveying his deep appreciation for their hard work, loyalty, efforts and friendship. It is always tough to say goodbye to your senior athletes but there are many great memories to share for a lifetime.

As the bus arrived back at Shelter Island School, Coach Card said, “I can’t wait until next year.”