The last time Tim Pandolfi stepped onto the floor in a Stony Brook uniform was 299 days ago in the New York State Regional Championship against Blind Brook. In his first appearance since knee surgery in October, he picked up right where he left off, connecting on four 3-pointers and leading all scorers with 22 points in a 68-33 win over Shelter Island.

1st Quarter

In their first game since December 10th, the Bears looked a bit rusty in the opening minutes. Kai Strachan got the scoring started with a tough offensive rebound and putback and Richie Armand followed with a block and outlet pass to Marco Masakayan for a fast break score. Pandolfi drilled his first 3-pointer of the year to make it 9-2, but the Indians clawed back within 12-8 before the Brook used an 8-0 run, punctuated by two highlight reel plays from Pandolfi, to take a 20-8 lead after one frame.

Pandolfi’s first memorable play occurred when he snagged an offensive rebound, went up for a layup, hung in mid-air, and finished a tough, double-clutch shot while drawing the foul. After the play he looked at the crowd as if to say, ‘I’m back, guys.’ He then closed the quarter with a difficult lefty finish on a fast break. While the offense was a bit out of sync in the early going, the Brook showed great intensity on defense, stealing the ball seven times in the quarter and forcing Shelter Island into uncomfortable situations with their full court press. | 20-8

2nd Quarter

Pandolfi and more stingy defense helped the Blue and White win the second quarter, 18-9. Pandolfi dropped 11 points in the frame, drilling three 3-pointers to all but put the game out of reach. Jerome Washington added four tough inside points while Masakayan drilled a deep trifecta to the delight of the large, pre-dinner crowd. The defense racked up six more steals in the quarter to galvanize the fast break and frustrate in the Indians’ offensive scheme. | 38-17

3rd Quarter

As the second half began, the Bears’ shooting cooled off a bit, but their defense continued to give Shelter Island fits. The Brook stole the ball on the Indians’ first three possessions and went on to pilfer them ten times in the frame. Washington scored a tough and-1 midway through the quarter that seemed to catalyze the offense on their way to a 16-3 quarter, giving the Bears a 24-3 run spanning the second and third periods. | 54-20

4th Quarter

Pandolfi & Co. sat for much of the fourth quarter as the boys cruised to a 68-33 victory in their League VIII opener. | 68-33

Impressions

It was not a pretty win, but then again, the first game back from our elongated Christmas break is mostly about shaking off the rust. While the offense sputtered at times, the defense was aggressive and eager to suffocate our visitors from between the forks. There were also stretches where the boys seemed to play down to the competition, something they will no doubt rectify as the season proceeds. The Bears travel to Pierson for their next game on January 11 @ 6:15pm.

Notes

The victory was the 225th of coach Mike Hickey’s career as he improved to 34-6 all-time vs. Shelter Island… Pandolfi’s 22-point effort leaves him just 141 points shy of the 1,000 point milestone… The junior varsity also downed Shelter Island by a score of 52-26.

Box Score

Pandolfi	22 points, four 3-pointers
Strachan	15 points, three 3-pointers
Masakayan	11 points, one 3-pointer
Washington	9 points
Farqu Taylor	6 points
Armand	3 points
Forrest Hull	2 points