Indians notch first varsity basketball win of the season

The Shelter Island boys basketball team racked up its first win of the 2013-2014 campaign with a 72-31 blow out victory on its home court Tuesday against Knox.

The Indians were led by Nate Mundy and Tristan Wissemann who both put up 18 points. All eight players scored including Sawyer Clark (8), Johnny Sturges (6), and Peter Kropf (3) coming off the bench to contribute to the win.

It was a good comeback from a tough loss against Greenport last week. The Island boys showed no fear going into Greenport’s large, intimidating gym on Friday the 13th. Last season, in their only matchup, the Indians lost to the Porters 52-49, with the game decided in the final minute. Knowing this, the players, coaches and spectators were expecting a tight game. But there was no luck for the Indians with the Porters prevailing, storming back from deficits to take the win going away, 58-50.

The first quarter was full of superb rebounding from both teams, as second-chance opportunities and put-backs were a rarity. To open up the scoring, senior forward Matthew Dunning went two for two from the charity stripe, and Porters guard Gavin Dibble used his speed to get a quick lay-up making it 2-2. This tie would last for a little over three minutes, even though both squads moved the ball well. When it came time to take a shot, there were hands in the faces of the shooters, resulting in missed field goals. At the 4:30 mark a Dibble triple made it 5-2, but after that Greenport relied on its fast-break offense, giving them their final 6 points of the quarter. Although the Porters were showcasing their speed, Shelter Island proved they could do the same when senior point guard Riley Willumsen dished a dime up court to senior guard Matthew BeltCappellino for a lay-up at 2:08. The only other offense for the Indians would come from sophomore forward Tristan Wissemann’s baby-jumper and Willumsen’s free throw. The Porters went into the second with an 11-7 lead.

The quarter would start off with another Dibble three and a fast-break lay-up from Porters forward Austin Hooks, which got the Greenport crowd into the game for good. The fun would not last for them, though, as Wissemann’s two straight lay-ups narrowed the Porters’ 16-11 lead. Although the Porters were getting hot from downtown, later in the quarter BeltCappellino silenced the Greenport fans with a trey that made it 22-17 Greenport at 2:33. The rest of the Indians’ points in the second would come from one free throw each by senior forward Nathan Mundy and junior guard Sawyer Clark. Greenport would continue their offensive onslaught and score an additional 10 points to go into halftime with a 32-21 advantage.

The third quarter included a little bit of everything. Mundy’s scoop lay-up at 6:11 was an Indians crowd-pleaser. Hooks missed a dunk at 5:40 for the Porters, but the Greenport fans got loud anyway, appreciating his effort. Just when the Porters, now in the lead 36-25, were about to run away with the game, Wissemann hit a three-ball to bring the Indians back within 8 at 3:53. With the Porters rebounding well, the Indians offense was limited for the rest of the quarter to a lay-up by BeltCappellino and a free throw by sophomore Billy Boeklen.

Porters guard Timmy Stevens drilled a shot from downtown to end the quarter and give Greenport their largest lead of the game at 44-31.
The fourth quarter was tense. From the start to 2:33, Shelter Island went on a 15-1 run. It was highlighted by a fancy Wissemann lay-up, a now-common Dunning put-back, and a BeltCappellino three. Mundy’s two clutch free throws gave the Indians a 46-45 lead, and the Shelter Island crowd erupted. Stevens was on fire this game and would continue to impress as he downed a triple at 2:05 to give the Porters the 2-point lead. It wouldn’t last for long, though, as Willumsen connected with BeltCappellino yet again to make it a 48-48 deadlock. A Stevens “and 1” lay-up and a put-back from Hooks gave Greenport total control of the game. The last spark of hope came from a BeltCappellino put-back, but five automatic Dibble free throws and one from Hooks would seal the deal for the Porters as they protected their home court with a 58-50 victory.

Scoring: Wissemann-20; BeltCappellino-14; Dunning-6; Mundy-6; Clark-2; Willumsen-1; Boeklen-1. Greenport (high scorers): Dibble-16; Stevens-13; Tuthill-13; Hooks-12.