Shelter Island School varsity boys basketball team close 2024-2025 campaign
The Shelter Island boys varsity basketball team finished their final week of the season, facing off against the Southold Settlers on Monday, Feb. 3, St. Pius V School at home on Wednesday, Feb. 5, and the Bridgehampton Killer Bees on Friday, Feb. 7.
The team dropped all three games. Southold and St. Pius V were significantly close contests, leaving the team’s overall record at 2 wins and 18 losses.
The Feb. 3 home game started with an aggressive offensive effort on both ends, as the teams traded baskets for most of the first quarter. St. Pius capitalized on rebounds and secured an additional 6 points near the end of the quarter, leaving the score at 18-12, with St. Pius holding the narrow lead.
The second quarter, however, told a different story. Shelter Island’s defense fell apart as St. Pius took over on offense. The Islanders were unable to score a basket for six straight minutes, while St. Pius racked up 14 points. Ryan Sanwald broke the drought with two made free throws.
Harrison Weslek followed with a drive through two defenders, scoring the layup. Then, for the last minute of the half, Shelter Island was completely shut out on offense, while allowing another 5 points. The halftime score stood at 37-16, with Shelter Island managing only 4 points in the second quarter.
The third quarter started with a baseline jumper from Ryan Sanwald for 2 points. After an offensive rebound, Harrison Weslek found Kaden Gibbs cutting from the top of the key down the lane for an open layup. Shelter Island’s offense stalled yet again, allowing 12 points, bringing the score to 49-20 with two minutes left in the third quarter.
Harry Clark reignited the offense, draining a step-back three from the corner. Evan Weslek followed with an offensive board and a quick putback, adding 2 points. Another baseline jumper from Ryan Sanwald added 2 more, and an offensive board and putback from Harrison Weslek tacked on another 2. A free throw from Harry Clark brought Shelter Island to 30 points, while St. Pius added 6 more in the final two minutes, ending the quarter at 55-30.
St. Pius scored first in the fourth quarter, finding an open man in the paint for an easy layup. Harrison Weslek responded, dribbling through two defenders and scoring. After back-to-back offensive rebounds from Shelter Island, Ryan Sanwald stepped past his defender, scoring while drawing the foul. He sank the free throw, completing the 3-point play.
Following this, Harrison Weslek drove through three defenders, scoring another layup and drawing a foul. He made the free throw, for 3 more points for the Islanders.
With two minutes left in the game, and the score at 63-45, Shelter Island subbed out senior Harrison Weslek for his younger brother, Evan Weslek. The crowd gave him a standing ovation as he stepped off the court for his last home game of his high school basketball career. Shelter Island added 4 more points, while St. Pius made a mid-range jumper, leaving the final score at 65-49, with St. Pius claiming victory.
Following the game, the Reporter met with Head Coach Zack Mundy and Assistant Coach Matt Dunning to discuss the game. “We lost the game in the second quarter,” Coach Mundy said. “We were close with them in the first quarter and beat them in the second half. Only scoring four points in the second quarter killed us.”
Coach Dunning added, “When things don’t go well for us on offense, we tend to rush things, force looks, and take bad shots. Once we lost our offensive momentum, the defense fell apart, and we lost the game.”
SEASON RECAP
The varsity basketball team wrapped up their 2024-2025 season last week, finishing with a overall record of two wins and 18 losses. What started as a promising year turned into countless upsets, nail-biters, and, in general, competitive basketball.
While their progress as a program is significant — considering the team won their first game in years last season and matched that with somewhat consistent competitiveness this season — it’s not what the players or coaches were expecting.
The Reporter met with Head Coach Zack Mundy, Assistant Coach Matt Dunning, and Captain Harrison Weslek to discuss their thoughts on the season.
Coach Mundy said that despite the disappointing record, he still considered this season a success. “We’re seeing it now later in the season … but ball movement, basketball IQ, intensity — these are all things we haven’t seen before, but we’re seeing now,” he said. “We’re still struggling with forcing shots and turnovers, but we’re seeing more and more possessions that look exactly like what we drew up, which is a huge and encouraging sign for the next couple of years.”
Injuries also played a significant role in the team’s struggles. Sophomore starter Ari Waife suffered an ankle injury after the second game of the season, keeping him out until last week. Sophomore starter Nate Sanwald sustained a foot injury, sidelining him for the second half of the season. Senior starter Harrison Weslek played all season while battling a wrist injury, and sophomore Kaden Gibbs suffered a concussion that kept him out for a couple of weeks. “Missing Nate was huge for us because he was on the rise. When we lost him, we took a big hit offensively,” Coach Mundy explained.
Coach Dunning emphasized that the program’s future depends on off-season development. “I’m excited that we get a big break before next season to work on our game,” he said. “The improvement comes in the off season, not at the start of next season.”
For Harrison Weslek, it’s been an intensive four years on varsity. Since his freshman year, the team has gone from averaging 9 points a game to breaking a 36-game losing streak last season to becoming far more competitive this year. Many of those accomplishments can be credited to him. Harrison’s work ethic has brought countless players into the weight room and the gym during the off season, and he led the team to attend a basketball training camp two summers in a row.
Both coaches expressed how difficult it was to see Harrison’s time with the program come to an end. “I remember his freshman year — he did not want to play varsity basketball,” Coach Mundy said. “I told him he had no choice, and I’m so glad to have had four years with him. I wish I had another year with him to fine-tune some things, but the work he puts into his game is huge, and I’m really going to miss that.”
Coach Dunning said, “I think we, as a program — and the rest of the league — expect us to be much better in the coming years. Even though Harrison won’t be with us, he laid the foundation for this program. His commitment, love of the game, and leadership skills have been instilled in past and current players. As a young man, he did a great job being a role model for the future of our team.”
Harrison said, “All I’ve wanted is for this team to win games. I want to be remembered as a good role model. I think the team’s work ethic and passion have really improved, but I just wish I got to experience a home win. I’ve never lived through a home win. Obviously, success can be measured in more than just wins. We went from losing by 90 points every game a few years ago to being extremely competitive. I truly believe that this team is good enough to be measured by more than just small victories. I think we could have had more success this year.”
This season has been as rewarding for Shelter Island fans as it has been for the players. There’s no denying that losing by 90 points a game in the past was tough on everyone, but this year brought a different energy. As the team became more competitive, the stands began to fill up again, and the excitement was undeniable.
Whether it was the team jumping out to an early lead or bench players scoring their first points, the gym was loud all season. Energy was a constant. There’s no better feeling than that, and the players can’t wait for even more moments like those in the future.
They look ahead to next year with determination — hoping to grow as a program, develop as players, and finally secure their first varsity home win in over five years.
