Sports
Hills East Boys Basketball Team Falls to Whitman
After a undefeated winning streak, Hills East stumbles 55-46.
The boys varsity basketball team lost their first game of the season on Thursday night against Whitman, 55-46. After a five-game winning streak, the team finally met their match.
From the beginning, Whitman took control of the game with their swarming defense. In the first quarter, Whitman used a double-team defense, holding Hills East back from making anything happen. Turnovers and offensive rebounds are what gave Whitman the lead, ending the first quarter, 14-4.
In the second quarter, Hills East put in their tallest player (who is also their startig quarterback), sophomore R.J. Nitti. With a little more height, they were able to start taking it to the basket. While they scored an improved eight points, Whitman's defense was right on top of every move they made. Whitman also scored three 3-pointers, giving them a 17-point lead by halftime.
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The third quarter opened up with Hills East switching from a zone defense to man-to-man. They tried to be more aggressive, but Whitman was just too much. Hills East took out two of their key players, Billy Wesnofske and Tyler McKenzie, putting in their second string. With the quarter ending 44-17, it was time to start making changes.
In the final quarter of the game, Whitman put in their second string. Hills East's second string remained in the game, and little by little, they started to gain momentum. Slowly but surely, they brought their deficit into single digits. Hills East ended up scoring a whopping 29 points in the fourth quarter, more than they scored in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd quarters combined. This forced Whitman to put in their first string toward the end of the quarter. While their comeback was too little too late, it ended the game with a respectable 55-46.
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The coach of Hills East, Pete Basel, remained optimistic yet realistic about the game: "They out-toughed us physically. Putting in the subs helped us gain some major points. It's better that it happens now than later...I this think this game opened up a lot of eyes."
Their next game is against East Islip on Tuesday, January 11th.