Ravens wings clipped by Island squads

Mackenzie Needham keeps the fun of the game in sight as she drives for the basket during the varsity victory over Ross.

Looking for a lotto number? Try 17 – it was a lucky one forShelter Island girls basketball teams as they faced Ross School onFriday, December 18. Both JV and varsity Indians squads held theirRaven opponents to 17 points and won their first home games: 43-17for JV, 38-17 for varsity.

OFFENSE STARTS SLOW, HEATS UP

The Shelter Island varsity girls came out strong defensively,keeping Ross from taking winning shots and forcing turnovers.Contact with the rim was minimal – sophomore starter KelseyMcGayhey got off the first basket after junior Stacey Clark’ssteal, and her 2 points waited for company on the scoreboard untilthe clock wound down to 1:20 in the first quarter. That’s whenMcGayhey stole the ball and passed it to Mackenzie Needham, underthe net, who put it up for 2. Katie Siller kept it going with anoutside swish from the baseline to give the Indians a 6-0 lead.

Ross finally got on the boards when #22 drew a foul as the firstquarter buzzer sounded; she sank both free throws. The Ross coach’senergetic oral efforts to get his offense going caught theattention of a referee, who warned him to “calm down after thequarter ended with an Island lead of 6-2.

A Needham steal and bounce pass fed McGayhey for 2 early in thesecond quarter. Ross’s #22 netted another free throw and she wasencouraged by Raven fans to “just draw fouls, the surest way forRoss to score. Not so for SI – Siller set up a play after aMcGayhey steal and Kelsey scored again, this time from the top ofthe key; 10-3 Shelter Island.

On the first successful offensive drive for Ross, Raven #21 gota clean bank shot off and in, but McGayhey answered with 2. Ross’soffense could not respond – the ball was stolen by Clark who drovefor the layup and a 14-5 Indians lead.

That’s when the offensive momentum shifted to Ross. Theycontrolled the ball, scored 4 points and the Indians couldn’t get ashot off. Coach Miedema called a time out with 14 seconds left.When play resumed, McGayhey’s shot just ahead of the buzzer missed,and the Indians lead was shrinking, 14-9 at halftime.

3RD QUARTER CLIMAX

The third quarter started much like the first – with tusslingover the ball and turnovers. But this time Ross was the first toscore. After more give and take, Siller fed McGayhey under the netfor a 16-11 lead. A Siller steal went to McGayhey and she drew afoul, netting 1.

The players scrambled up and down the court with nothing to showfor it until senior Emily Gibbs drew a foul and sunk her secondshot, 18-11 Indians.

The Shelter Island crowd, particularly the boys varsity playersin the stands, wanted more than the lead – they wanted the girls tostart taking outside shots. After multiple passes, senior DougBinder yelled for classmate Siller, wide open at the baseline, to”Shoot it! She did; she scored. “We told you so, fan Jack Monaghancalled from the bleachers. Then McGayhey notched another 2,capitalizing on a Clark steal and Needham pass under the net.

The Indians immediately stole the ball again but their shotswouldn’t fall. Turnovers were netting nothing when, with about twominutes remaining in the third quarter, the refs heard somethingthey didn’t like from the Ross Coach, issuing a technical andsending McGayhey to the free throw line, solo, for 1. Still ShelterIsland’s ball, it found McGayhey who launched another beauty fromthe top of the key in a run of 11 unanswered Indians’ points and a25-11 lead.

McGayhey nabbed the Ross inbounds pass but an offensive playnever emerged from a long series of passes. Ross stole the ball and#21’s drive ended in an Indians’ foul and a Ross free throw. Theball changed hands a few times before McGayhey did the same for theIndians, putting the game at 26-12.

The crowd was ready for something new. Seconds remained on theclock when Shelter Island got the ball back and Rachael Heinzetossed a shot that swished sweetly and drew the foul – no extrapoints on the free throw but the Indians were pulling away.

The fourth quarter started with changes of possession untilSiller got her hands on the ball, drove in and laid it up for 2,drawing a foul but no extra points. The Indians seemed to have allthe heat until Raven #21 lobbed a shot from way outside, the only3-pointer of the game; the score, 30-15.

Again the Indians offense wasn’t materializing – Coach Miedemanever saw the “Shark play he shouted from the sideline, so hecalled time-out. When play resumed, the “Mongoose defensivestrategy was working – the Indians defense pressed rightfrom the Ross in-bounds toss to keep #21 from breaking for thebasket.

Shelter Island got the ball back, fighting for control untilMcGayhey put up another 2. The Indians regained the ball and aSiller shot bounced from the backboard to McGayhey, who put it in,34-15.

Ross wasn’t quite done and #40, who rarely took a shot,surprised everyone with a nice one for the Ravens’ final 2points.

McGayhey scored 2 for a game-high 23 points after a Sillersteal. With less than 2 minutes to go, the last goal of the nightwent to second stringer Kristie Moschetta. In the final minute,Ross couldn’t find the basket and Siller, 6 points on the night,took the ball back. The Indians wound down the clock and celebrateda 38-17 victory.