Varsity basketball boys win one, lose one
The 2018-19 Shelter Island School boys varsity basketball team. Front row, from left, Luke Liszansckie, Keith Taplin and Nico Seddio. Back row, from left, Coach Jay Card Jr., Dan Martin, Jack Vargas, Erik Thilberg, Walter Richards, Mason Marcello, Nick Young, Lucas Quigley-Dunning and Assistant Coach Peter Miedama.
The Shelter Island boys varsity basketball team split a pair of road games last week at Ross and Greenport.
On December 10, Lucas Quigley-Dunning had 23 points and seven steals to lead the Indians to a 61-44 victory over the Ross School in East Hampton. Walter Richards added 16 points and six rebounds as the Indians limited the Cosmos to just 26 points in the first three quarters.
“Our defensive intensity was the key,” Coach Jay Card Jr. said after the game. “We played a trap defense and pressured them into a lot of turnovers, which turned into easy baskets.”
The Indians faced a tougher challenge on December 13, falling to Greenport, last season’s Long Island Class C Champion, 92-68.
The Porters put on a dominant offensive display in the first half. Led by the passing and scoring of junior point guard Ahkee Anderson. Greenport outscored the Indians 30-12 in the second quarter to take an overwhelming 52-23 lead going into the break.
Shelter Island was more competitive in the second half. In the third quarter, the Indians outscored Greenport 24-19, cutting the lead to 15 at one point. But the Porters pulled away in the final period to put the game out of reach, posting their fourth victory of the season.
Coach Card was pleased with his team’s effort and energy. “Greenport’s a solid basketball team,” he said afterward. “Our guys worked hard. And we played well on the offensive end.
We moved the ball around, we made shots, and we did a good job getting to the free throw line.”
The Islanders converted 19 of 44 shots from the field, including an exceptional 7-for-15 from 3-point range. The team also made 21 out of 35 free throws.
Quiggley-Dunning led Shelter Island with 15 points, including three 3-pointers. Nico Seddio contributed 14 points and six rebounds, and Eric Thilberg added 9 points and seven rebounds.
Greenport’s Anderson played an exceptional all-around game, racking up 16 points, 14 assists and six rebounds for the home team. Jaxan Swann led all scorers with 22 points, and senior center Jude Swann finished with 19 points and 17 rebounds.
The loss dropped Shelter Island to 2-5 overall and 0-1 in league play.
This week, the Indians travel to Pierson to take on the Whalers at 6:15 on December 19, and to Mattituck for a Saturday game against the Tuckers at 11:45 on December 22.
