Sports

Tuckers Fly Past Monarchs at Mercy

Full court press, height advantage prove pivotal as Mattituck moves to 2-0 in league play, Mercy falls to 0-2.

The Mattituck boys' basketball team, riding the backs of a starting lineup which boasts five seniors, took down McGann-Mercy by a score of 70-44 on Tuesday night against a younger and smaller Monarchs squad.

The Tuckers, who improved to 6-1 on the season (2-0, League VII) matched their win total from last season with Tuesday's win.

"Last year we were kind of a young team, with most of us just getting up on the varsity level," said senior Connor Davis, who finished the night with 15 points. "We're able to share the ball a little better now and play off each other's strengths."

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The Monarchs (1-6, 0-2), sporting a roster which features eight first-year varsity players on a roster of 12, have been battling themselves to remember the fundamentals of the game and maintain that consistency for four consecutive quarters.

"A lot of the times we're just forgetting the basics," said Mercy head coach Mike Clauberg. "Whether it's something as simple as boxing out, or running the plays we called - we're still working on becoming natural in the game."

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Clauberg also noted the obvious, upon looking at the court Tuesday night: his team's size - or lack thereof - becomes a factor as well.

"We're probably the smallest team in Suffolk County," he said, adding that his team is also "fast and feisty."

In the end, the length of the Tuckers turned out to be far more than the Monarchs could handle. Six-foot-five center Cody Huntley, who also served as goalkeeper for the Mattituck soccer team in the fall, led a rebounding assault over the Monarchs that provided ample second-chance points for the Tuckers. The long reach of Mattituck cut off passing lanes, and coupled with a full court press in the first half that forced 22 Monarch turnovers, it wasn't long before the Tuckers held a sizable lead.

Mercy led 6-4 early on, but once the Mattituck full court press started to swarm, it was all Mattituck. Mercy was unable to penetrate a zone defense once they got the ball into Mattituck's side of the court, and the Tuckers went on a 12-0 run. After the first quarter, Mattituck led 18-8. 

"We usually like to say each turnover should equal a point," said Mattituck head coach Paul Ellwood. "So there were some things we could have done better."

At the half, Mattituck held a 35-21 lead. A dearth in offense to start the second half resulted in a 10 scoreless possessions between both sides, though Mercy was unable to take advantage before Mattituck went on a 12-2 run to end the quarter. Mercy had a 7-0 run of its own in the fourth quarter, though by then it was too late. 

"We'll have one good quarter, one bad quarter it seems," said Mercy forward Pat Stepnoski. "I'm not really sure how we go about fixing that."


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