Another nail-biter for Shelter Island boys varsity basketball team

The Shelter Island boys varsity basketball team faced the Smithtown Christian Knights on Saturday, Feb. 1. The game followed two disappointing losses — a home matchup against the Ross School, ending in overtime, and an away matchup against the Greenport Porters — leaving the players hungry for a win.
What started as a promising season has led to many nail biters, as the team’s only two wins have come against Ross.
To that end, the close games usually tell a similar story, with the team going head-to-head with their opponents, but never playing with a lead. Saturday, however, told a different story.
Senior Harrison Weslek started the Islanders’ offense with a defensive board followed by nailing a contested 3-pointer. A missed 3-pointer from Shelter Island gave the Knights the ball, but junior Harry Clark stole it, passing to freshman Ryan Sanwald for an open jumpshot, scoring 2 points.
The team continued their offensive rally, scoring 13 points while allowing only 3, making the score 13-3 in Shelter Island’s favor at the end of the first quarter.
Smithtown scored their first point with a made free throw after being shut down for eight minutes by the Islanders. Shelter Island responded with a free throw of their own, bringing the score to 14-4. The Islanders’ defense continued to dominate, securing multiple stops and rebounds, while sophomore Evan Weslek went to work on offense.
Evan drove through Smithtown’s defense on three straight possessions, scoring four points on contested layups and assisting Jackson Rohrer on a 3-pointer, extending the lead to 21-4. The Islanders’ defense continued to shut down the Knights’ offense for the next four minutes until a made free throw brought the score to 21-5 with three minutes left in the half.
Following a timeout, Smithtown’s offense found success drawing numerous fouls, allowing them to score 6 points and bring the score to 21-11 with a minute left in the half. Quick ball movement around the arc and into the paint left Evan Weslek wide open, allowing him to score 2 points.
Smithtown responded with a contested 3-pointer, leaving just six seconds on the clock. Following a foul, an inbound pass found Harrison Weslek on the 3-point line, sinking an open shot and bringing the score to 26-14 at halftime.
Smithtown’s offense came out strong in the third quarter, scoring on a quick putback for 2 points, followed by a 3-pointer. Shelter Island quickly responded when a pass through Smithtown’s defense found Ryan Sanwald wide open for a reverse layup.
Both teams picked up their defense, with neither scoring for three minutes. On the defensive end, Ari Waife made a steal and quickly passed to Evan Weslek in transition, drawing a foul on the layup and knocking down both free throws, bringing the score to 30-19.
After forcing a turnover on defense, Shelter Island found Waife cutting baseline, where he made a contested layup for 2 points. Smithtown answered with another 3-pointer, bringing the score to 34-22, and then began a full-court press on defense.
Quick passes gave Harrison Weslek room to work on offense, allowing him to drive through defenders for a mid-range jumper, making it 36-22 at the end of the third quarter.
Smithtown’s offense came out shooting in the fourth quarter, immediately knocking down two 3-pointers while stopping Shelter Island’s offense. A made midrange jumpshot closed the gap to 34-30, with Shelter Island yet to score. On an inbound in the backcourt, Harrison Weslek lost his defender, scoring in transition and pushing the score to 38-30.
On the next play, Smithtown secured an offensive rebound, and a quick pass to a shooter on the arc brought the score to 38-33. Two made free throws cut the lead to 38-35, and a 3-pointer from the Knights’ center tied the game 38-38 with three minutes left.
Smithtown’s defense locked down Shelter Island’s offense for the next two minutes while adding 6 points of their own, taking their first lead of the game at 44-38 with a minute remaining. Made free throws brought Shelter Island to 41 points, trailing by 3 with 30 seconds left. Smithtown found an open player on the baseline, who scored a layup, bringing the score to 46-41 with just 15 seconds left.
A timeout from Shelter Island stopped the clock, and Evan Weslek brought the ball up in transition. Quick passes around the arc drew a foul, sending Weslek to the free throw line. He made both, cutting the deficit back to three. Shelter Island, in a full-court press, allowed a long pass, leaving the Knights with an open layup to secure the 48-43 win.
Following the game, the Reporter met with Assistant Coach Matt Dunning to discuss the disappointing loss. “The first three quarters, we were really moving the ball. Some of our secondary players were making shots, but all credit goes to our defense — they were flying,” Coach Dunning said. “We had Ryan Sanwald in man defense against their best player, and he rose to the challenge, locking him down and getting in his head. We lost the game in the fourth quarter as we stalled on offense.”
The Islanders had games scheduled against the Southold Settlers on Monday, Feb. 3, at 4:30 p.m. at Southold, and St. Pius V School on Wednesday at 5 p.m. at home, marking the final week of the 2024-2025 season.