Boys Basketball: Islander hits three shots in a matter of seconds

This writer has coached varsity boys basketball for more than four decades, and just when you think you’ve seen every imaginable play on the court, you witness something new.

That happened when the Shelter Island boys varsity basketball team hosted Greenport on Jan. 13. It was late in the game when senior Lucas Quigley-Dunning drove to the basket, made the shot and got fouled. “Q,” as his teammates call him, went to the line to shoot one free throw because the basket was good. 

The other players thought the basket had not been counted and expected Q to shoot two foul shots. But the Islander knew better, and when his free throw hit the front rim and no one moved, he simply rebounded his miss and laid it back up — scoring 4 points in just 1 second. 

The Greenport players and coach were obviously confused. When the referee handed the ball to a Greenport player to inbound the pass, he stepped over the baseline, still confused about what had just happened. The clock immediately stopped.

When the Indians inbounded the basketball, there was Q wide open at the baseline for a 12-foot jump shot. 

Yes, Q scored three field goals, six points, all in a matter of a few seconds. Even the crowd was not quite sure what had happened, but you have to give credit to Quigley-Dunning and his teammates — they cashed the advantage with heads up play and put the game totally out of reach.