On this day 17 years ago, the boys’ basketball team eked out a win against league rival Pierson to improve to 5-1 on their quest to repeat as League VIII Champions. Matt Mattimore and Jonas Fischer combined for 12 points as the Bears grabbed a 17-14 edge after one. Mattimore continued to heat up in the second frame as he scored 13 of the Brook’s 17 points, but the Whalers’ offense found their rhythm and took a two-point advantage into the break.

Five different Bears scored in the third frame, but Fischer, shackled by foul trouble, did not manage a single point in the second half. The Whalers won the third quarter 18-14 and led 54-48 heading into the fourth quarter. The boys needed a comeback to stay in the hunt for the league title, but hope dimmed when Pierson scored the first four points of the period to take a ten-point lead with 6:41 remaining. With their feet to the fire, the Blue and White went on a 12-2 run, during which Nkumu Mandungu scored 7, to knot the game at 60-60 with 2:42 left. A score by the Whalers gave them the lead back, but a free throw by Mattimore and two more free throws by Jimmy Roban gave the Brook a 63-62 advantage with one minute left.

The Whalers tied the score with a free throw at the 23 second mark, leaving the Bears with a final possession to win the game. The hero proved to be reserve player Matt Spooner, who with 9 seconds remaining sank two free throws to provide the winning margin in a huge 65-63 victory for the home team.

It was a remarkable fourth quarter in which the Bears outscored the Whalers 17-9. The offensive tandem of Mattimore and Fischer yielded only four total points, meaning the rest of the offense found a way to scrape together 13 to steal the win. Pierson’s two leading scorers on the day, Tyler Radcliffe and John Schroeder, who scored 19 and 18 points, respectively, were limited to just four combined points in the final frame by the ferocious Bears’ defense. The win also avenged a 57-61 defeat against the Whalers on January 5th.

There was another come-from-behind win in League VIII, as Matt Spooner sank both ends of a one-and-one with nine seconds left to give Stony Brook a 65-63 win over Pierson. Stony Brook (5-1) went on a 10-2 run after its best player, Jonas Fischer, fouled out with five minutes left. Nkumu Mandungu (16 points, 17 rebounds) started the run with five straight points and the Bears' full court pressure forced two turnovers. Matt Mattimore led Stony Brook with 28 points and was 11 of 13 from the foul line.

~ Newsday

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