Sports

Lions Will Take The Win

West Islip boys' lacrosse tops Half Hollow Hills East 11-4, but coaching staff unhappy with team's overall level of play.

West Islip’s 11-4 win over Half Hollow Hills Tuesday was welcomed following the team’s tough 7-6 loss to Chaminade Saturday.

And while no one in blue was ready to give back the victory, the inconsistent level of play from the boys’ lacrosse team (3-1) clearly got under the skin of head coach Scott Craig.

“I have lots of thoughts but I'm not sure you can print them,” the head coach said, when asked to evaluate his team’s performance against Hills East.

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There were several issues frustrating Craig and his coaching staff. Following a rousing start in which goals by Brendan Smith, Jon Reese and Anthony Santo gave West Islip a 3-0 lead less than three minutes into the game, the Lions offense became stagnant.

Ball movement was slow and there were a number of careless turnovers.

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“It just seemed we came out and played three or four minutes and then nothing,” Craig said. “It seemed like we had a lot of guys that wanted to build their stats.”

Unlike the team’s when attackmen Tom Moore and Smith were the offensive stars, the Lions’ scoring vs. Hills East came from several different sources.

Reese led West Islip with three goals, Kevin Braddish chipped in with two goals and defenseman/midfielder Santo and defenseman Patrick Ryan also scored. Carrying the ball up field in his long-stick, Ryan raced some 50 yards untouched and beat Hills East goalie Jordan Eichholz on a neat bounce shot.

Ryan’s goal came at the 8:28 mark of the third quarter and stymied a modest two-goal run by Hills East that cut West Islip’s lead to 8-4.

In addition to helping out offensively, the Lions’ defense remains the highlight of the team’s first four games, allowing an average of four goals per game.

“We have three of our four captains on the defensive side of the field who are the leaders out there,” Craig said, mentioning Santo, Ryan and goalie Jack Kelly. “They keep everyone focused on that side of the field. We do not have that leadership on the offensive side of the field.”

Following four games over an eight-day period, West Islip will be back in action April 13 at home vs. Sachem North, the Lions’ first real test within Division I.

1 2 3 4 F West Islip 5 1 2 3 11 Hills East 0 1 1 2 4


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