LAKE HUNTINGTON — The weather was cold and snowy outside, but the Fallsburg Comets came into Sullivan West’s Dog Pound smoking hot on Tuesday night behind the incredible shooting of guard Nick Storms.

Storms swished four three-pointers in a row to start the game as Fallsburg raced out to a 14-0 lead before Sullivan West knew what hit them.

“We had a very slow start,” Sullivan West Head Coach Ronj Padu said. “But we stuck with our game plan and our energy picked up in the second quarter.”

Slowly, the Bulldogs clawed their way back, turning up their defense while shutting down Storms enroute to a 24-22 halftime lead.

“Our passing opened up driving lanes  and we worked on getting the ball in the middle against their zone,” Padu said. “We also were finishing tonight on the glass.”

The Bulldogs continued the hot streak in the third quarter, outscoring the Comets 13-5 to take a 37-27 lead into the fourth quarter. 

Sullivan West’s Evan Ebert was the big gun on the night, scoring 10 of his 20 points in the second half to keep the Bulldogs ahead.

Ebert also went 9-9 from the free throw line and guard Matt DuBois went 4-4 down the stretch as the Bulldogs hit 16-21 free throws for a 76 percent shooting percentage.

The Bulldog crowd came alive in the second half, helping the home team to turn up the defense.

Sullivan West’s Brandon Haass, who was a workhorse underneath on the boards on both offense and defense, netted 12 points, including a clutch three-pointer to start the fourth quarter that put the Bulldogs up by 11, its largest lead of the game.

Fallsburg threw a 1-2-2 full court press at the Bulldogs midway through the fourth quarter, but took it off after Sullivan West scored two quick baskets.

“We were prepared for that [the press],” Padu said. “We also worked hard at shutting down Nick [Storms].”

The Comets mounted a late fourth quarter comeback as Donavan Hart netted 10 of his game high 21 points but they could get no closer than five points, 47-42, with just over a minute left.

The Bulldogs sank all their free throws down the stretch to take a 51-44 win.