Last night Mac Bohuny, Brandon Providence, Jyles Etienne, Harry Zhu, John Eshirow, and Austin Amadio played their final Friday night home game in Swanson Gymnasium, going out with a bang in an 83-40 win over Shelter Island. This senior class inherited a team that had won two straight Suffolk County Championships and they did not let the banner fall on their watch. They have led the Bears to two League Championships, two Suffolk County Championships, and a Long Island Championship, cementing the Bears’ status as the greatest Class C dynasty in Suffolk history.

The seniors may have had a little too much adrenaline as the game began, turning the ball over several times and falling behind 1-5 in the opening minutes. Midway through the quarter the Bears still trailed when two layups in a span of seconds put the Bears ahead for the first time. Seamus Scanlon converted a fastbreak layup and Providence followed by pilfering the ball and taking it all the way to the cup for a 6-5 lead. Shelter briefly retook the lead after a pair of free throws, but a layup from Etienne sparked an incredible 30-0 run that would span the end of the first quarter, the entirety of the second quarter, and the opening possession of the third quarter. A Scanlon 3-pointer and a Bohuny 3-point play pushed the lead to 14-7. Emil Vaughn closed the opening frame with an exclamation point, threading a gorgeous 30-foot bounce pass to Eshirow for a buzzer-beating layup and a 19-7 lead.

The Blue and White outscored the Indians 15-0 in the second frame to carry a dominant 34-7 edge into the half. The run was punctuated by a ferocious dunk from Etienne after some deft passing from Vaughn and Bohuny. Vaughn dished to Bohuny on the wing, then cut through the middle for a return pass before finding Etienne at the midpoint. The 6′ 5″ Bahamian took one dribble and two long strides on his way to rocking the rim, sending the Blue Fan Group into a frenzy. Zhu capped the quarter with a 3-pointer in the closing seconds.

The Bear offense hit its stride in the third frame, hanging 27 on the over-matched Indians. The loudest cheers of the quarter were reserved for Amadio who converted two tough buckets inside. The students in the front rows were so enthusiastic for the hard-working senior that a referees made an announcement requesting that they stay off the court.

The Bears cruised into the fourth quarter with a 61-20 advantage. Early in the frame the seniors were subbed out for the last time so that they could receive a final recognition from the spirited crowd. The Blue and White offense continued unabated without them. Scanlon splashed two of his four 3-pointers in the quarter, James Toney grabbed an offensive rebound and a layup, and Vaughn had a steal and score in a 20-point quarter for the Bears.

Scanlon led all scorers with 19 points, his career-high at the varsity level. Bohuny (13 points), Etienne (13 points/12 rebounds), Zhu (9), Providence (7), Eshirow (6), Vaughn (6), Amadio (4), Toney (4), and Jerry Li (2) rounded out a balanced scoring attack.

With the win, the Bears move closer to their 17th consecutive playoff appearance. They need to win just one of their final two games to earn a berth. They host Bridgehampton (9-1) on Wednesday and travel to Southold (2-7) on Friday night.

On Friday, February 3, the Indians took the long drive to the Stony Brook School. The host school was celebrating senior night, honoring their players in front of a big home crowd.

For the first time this year, the Indians went scoreless in the second quarter, scoring a mere seven points in the first half (34-7). Fortunately, the Indians got it going in the second half, scoring 34 points. The Indians shot a dismal two-for-17 in the first half and committed 14 turnovers. But in the second half, they were 13-for-26 from inside the arc (0-for-5 from 3-point range), but they had just four turnovers.

Stony Brook posted an impressive 83-40 win on their court and once again, will be headed to the playoffs. Seamus Scanlon, who came off the bench, had a game-high 19 points for his team.

Interesting to note: Coach Card told me that senior Stony Brook standout Jyles Etienne from the Bahamas, is a high jumper who has cleared 6’ 11". The world record of 6’ 11.75" was set by American Walt Davis in 1953. The record now stands at over 8 feet.

On the basketball court, Etienne is a tremendous defensive player who specializes in shot-blocking and intimidating his opponents as they drive down the lane.

~ from the Shelter Island Reporter

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