LAKE HUNTINGTON – Adversity can either be one’s greatest foe or greatest ally. For both the Sullivan West and Eldred boys basketball teams, adversity has already presented that choice in the early throes of the 2022-23 hardwood season.

Sullivan West lost its best shooter and most serious basketball presence when sophomore Matt Dubois broke his arm in five places in a devastating fall against Liberty. Eldred went 0-14 a year ago and came into their season opening fray with two seniors and three freshmen starting. On the face of it, it figured to be a game that would be yet another battle of teams that are apt to struggle. 

But what ensued instead in their non-league tilt this past Wednesday was an epic battle, a 38-34 Sullivan West win in which both teams took the challenge of adversity and used it as motivation to mightily compete. 

This past fall in football Eldred was taken very lightly based on their struggles a year ago. Much to the surprise and shock in the eight-man circuit, the Yellowjackets proved to be a daunting challenge nearly beating Sullivan West and Ellenville and barely missing out on a berth in the playoffs. Three of their stars in Frankie Whitmore, Sean Furler and Trai Kaufmann now bring the same kind of competitive intensity to the hardwood. 

Kaufmann, one of the three freshmen on the team, has grown in stature since last year’s basketball campaign wherein the then eighth grader averaged 11 points per game.  In this tilt, he scored a team-high 14. 

Football veterans also populate the Bulldog squad with Andrew Hubert, Jaymes Buddenhagen, Evan Ebert, Adam Ernst, Allyn Walker, Jakob Halloran, not to mention Jacob Hubert who missed last season due to yet another concussion incurred in practice. 

Jacob, who wears a protective headband, showed his true grit with a game-high 15 points that included three treys, one of which came in the fourth quarter crunch time, a period in which the Westies put up 11 to Eldred’s six to close out the win. 

A key surge in rebounding in the second half by the Dawgs proved crucial in pulling out the hard-won victory. 

For Eldred though, the signs of a promising season were clearly imprinted despite the loss. The teams were knotted at nine apiece after the first quarter although Eldred committed seven fouls to Sullivan West’s one.  

Eldred ended the half leading 23-17. Sullivan West doubled up the Yellowjackets in the third quarter 10-5 to cut their deficit to one at 28-27. Evan Ebert’s three from the corner put Sullivan West briefly on top. He added another bucket to make it 35-30. 

Furler answered with a bucket of his own to make it 35-32. Jacob Hubert would seal the deal with three of five foul shots in the waning minute. Sullivan West improved to 2-4 while Eldred begins the season at 0-1. 

Sullivan West was 11/22 from the stripe. Eldred was 2/11. 

Eldred coach Bill Furler noted that in the second half, “We got outrebounded. That’s what happens when you must start three freshmen. For us, when we’re practicing against JV kids who are a lot smaller than we are, obviously we dominate practices. This is our first game and we got blown out in every game last year. The only place for us to go is up.” 

“I’m proud of these kids,”  Sullivan West coach John Meyer noted. “We made some things happen. We moved the ball a little bit better. In the second half we outrebounded them.” 

In terms of the overall picture, Meyer reiterated the impact of the Dubois injury. He was impressed by the effort.