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Boys Basketball: Cold shooting chills Tuckers

Mattituck basketball player Ryan Shuford 122816

So, who is going to be the Mattituck High School boys basketball team’s top scorer?

That is not a question easily answered. It depends on the day. It depends on the game.


One day it can be Ryan Shuford. Another day it can be Tyler Seifert. Another day it can be Ryan McCaffery. Another day it can be Nick Perino.

And so it goes.

That’s the nature of the Tuckers and their unpredictable offense. Wednesday it was Shuford’s day to shine offensively, but who could have predicted that the Tuckers would have struggled so much with their shooting?

That was the case as the Tuckers fell, 58-46, in a non-league loss to Mount Sinai at Mattituck High School. Mattituck shot 30.2 percent (19-of-63) from the floor, including 5-of-23 from three-point distance. In the second half the Tuckers shot 7-for-28 as Mount Sinai (7-1) expanded a four-point halftime lead.

Mattituck (3-5) had taken a 24-20 advantage when Alex Burns converted a basket while being fouled with four minutes, 14 seconds left in the second quarter. But Mount Sinai then surged in front for good, running off a 15-5 spurt.

Mattituck managed to pull to within two points when a Carter Montgomery free throw made it 39-37 at 3:36 of the third quarter, but Mount Sinai went back to work, distancing itself further from the Tuckers.

Nick Rose powered Mount Sinai with 18 points, eight rebounds and four assists. He made 6-of-6 free throws. Harrison Bak put up 15 points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks.

Shuford hit three three-pointers and brought Mattituck 15 points. H’Nahdari Joyner supplied 10 points and nine rebounds.

In his first game back since scoring 17 points and suffering what he described as a mild concussion in a game against Southold, Ryan McCaffery came off the bench but did not score.

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Photo caption: Mattituck’s Ryan Shuford tries to secure a rebound despite the efforts of Mount Sinai’s Harrison Bak. (Credit: Garret Meade)