Boys Basketball: Mattituck falls to 0-3 to open season
Finding an identity on offense figured to take time for Mattituck this season. After all, the Tuckers lost nearly all their scoring from last year to graduation.
The early results have been predictable. Without a go-to scorer yet, the Tuckers are struggling for consistent offense. Against The Stony Brook School Saturday afternoon, the Tuckers had a win there for the taking. But the Bears held Mattituck without a field goal for the final 4 1/2 minutes of the game to walk out of Mattituck High School with a 46-41 victory.
The Tuckers led by as many as nine in the third quarter. The Tuckers scored the first five points of second half to open their largest lead of the game and appeared poised to pull away. But the Bears responded with a 9-0 run, capped by a 3-pointer by Seamus Scanlon. The teams were separated by three points or less the remainder of the game until the Bears sank a pair of free throws in the closing seconds.
It was the third straight loss for Mattituck to begin the season and the Tuckers are averaging just under 38 points per game. Ryan Shuford led the Tuckers with 12 points Saturday and he was the only player in double figures.
Stony Brook had three players in double figures, led by Mac Bohnny’s 12.
The Bears turned the ball over eight times in the third quarter, but the Tuckers couldn’t capitalize and extend their lead. Instead, they took a 32-31 lead into the fourth quarter.
The game was tied at 40 with 2:51 left after Xavier Allen sank a pair of free throws for Mattituck. The Bears regained the lead on a layup by Bohnny with 1:54 left. The Bears, who struggled overall from the line (11-22), sank four of six free throws to hold off Mattituck.
The Tuckers will travel to Hampton Bays on Wednesday in search of their first win.
