Boys varsity basketball team beats Ross on the road

The Shelter Island varsity boys basketball team took a closely contested road game from league rival Ross on Monday.

The Indians beat the Cosmos 59-55, with Eric Thilberg draining 3 out of 4 clutch free throws in the fourth quarter to secure the win.

It shouldn’t have been as close as the score indicated, said Coach Jay Card Jr. after the game. “We had some self-inflicted pain,” the coach said, with too many turnovers and “poor passing decisions.”

Shelter Island has secured a Suffolk County Class D playoff berth, Coach Card said. It’s a formality that the school will ask the league to be included, and the request will be accepted.  Class D is a designation for schools with small enrollments.

On January 10, Shelter Island won a dramatic 65-62 victory over the Bridgehampton Killer Bees, which triggered the ability to formally request a spot in the playoffs. It was the team’s first victory over Bridgehampton since January 2014.

The playoff game will be a rematch against the Killer Bees, to be played February 12 on a neutral floor in Center Moriches.

Today, Thursday, the varsity, along with the junior varsity, hosts Southold. The JV game tips off at 5:45 p.m. and the varsity game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.