Facing the prospect of an 0-4 start, the West Islip High School boys basketball team rallied from a first half deficit and defeated Half Hollow Hills East 57-53 Tuesday at the high school.

The Lions started slowly missing several shots and trailed 10-3 at the end of the first quarter. But the team's defense tightened in the second quarter and kept Hills East from pulling away. In the second quarter, the Lions began to find their shooting stroke and went to the half trailing 23-18.

West Islip grabbed momentum in the third quarter and cut the Hills East led to three, 39-36. The Lions would outscore the Thunderbirds 21-14 in the fourth quarter to secure the win.

West Islip's Chris Anderson had a game high 21 points, including six 3-pointers, and teammate Dan Cunningham chipped in with 17 points. Ryan Nitti paced Hills East with 17 points.