JENNIFER GUSTAVSON PHOTO | Lacrosse players and parents at last week’s Mattituck school board meeting.

A recent decision by the Mattituck Board of Education not to hire a controversial lacrosse coach who had been recommended by the district athletic director was met with scrutiny from several parents at the board’s regular meeting last Thursday.

During the public comment portion of that meeting, parent Jeanine Warns pleaded with the school board to hire Mike Gongas as the varsity boys lacrosse coach. She said she believes his 30-plus years of coaching experience will benefit the fairly new lacrosse program, which serves all three Southold Town high schools.

“I know there are a lot of rumors out there about this gentlemen, but I’m urging the board to meet with him and talk with him,” Ms. Warns said. “He wants to come here and build the program.”

Board of Education president Jerry Diffley said Friday that Mr. Gongas’ appointment had first appeared on the October school board agenda. The board tabled the resolution, which included other coaching appointments, and took the matter into executive session for discussion. After the board exited the executive session, it unanimously approved the other appointments but not Mr. Gongas’, according to the meeting minutes.

“There was no action taken with regard to him,” Mr. Diffley said.

When asked if it was possible the appointment would come up again, Mr. Diffley said, “We’re going to continue to look elsewhere.”

Mr. Gongas’ past includes alleged incidents stemming from his volunteer coaching and school board tenure in the Comsewogue School District.

The Times Beacon Record had reported that Mr. Gongas was arrested and charged with assault in the third degree on June 25, 2005, in connection with an incident that had taken place in the early morning of May 18, 2005, following a school board election.

Then, in April 2006, the Record reported that Mr. Gongas, an assistant varsity lacrosse coach in the district, had resigned his school board position after the board adopted a rule prohibiting its members from coaching. At the time, Mr. Gongas told that newspaper he believed the ruling had been designed specifically to remove him from the school board.

Last February, Patch.com reported that the Comsewogue school board had not reappointed Mr. Gongas to his lacrosse coaching position due to allegations about his inappropriate behavior with Team Long Island, an outside league not affiliated with the district. In particular, according to the Patch article, the school board noted Mr. Gongas’ alleged involvement in a physical altercation during a Team Long Island lacrosse event in October 2012.

Mr. Gongas also appeared as a defendant on the television court show “The People’s Court” in 2007, after the parents of one of his Team Long Island players claimed their son was being treated unfairly in the program. Judge Marilyn Milian ruled in favor of the parents in the amount of $545, according to the broadcast.

Mr. Gongas did not return a phone call seeking comment for this story.

Greg Couch, director of the North Fork Lacrosse Club, spoke in support of Mr. Gongas during the Mattituck school board meeting, saying he believes Mr. Gongas is capable of running the school’s lacrosse program. Mr. Couch said in an interview last week that, with lacrosse season starting in March, he’s concerned that the coaching position still hasn’t been filled.

“We’re really running short on time,” Mr. Couch said. “All of our players are developed and they’d love to represent their school.”

Mattituck athletic director Gregg Wormuth said he believes the Mattituck school board would have appointed Mr. Gongas to the post if he hadn’t had a controversial past.

“I believe he’s capable of teaching lacrosse,” Mr. Wormuth said. “I respect any decision made by the school board. We’re working hard to find the best coaches for our kids.”

Mr. Diffley said school board members are confident Mr. Wormuth will find someone to fill the vacancy and believes the most difficult part of hiring any coach is that practice starts around 2 p.m. If a coach doesn’t teach in the district, he said, it’s difficult for him or her to meet practice and game schedules.

The school’s first two head lacrosse coaches did not teach in the district. The team finished last season, its first under previous coach Ryan Mahoney, with a 6-10 record, its best in three varsity seasons.

The squad went 3-25 in its first two years, the second of which ended in controversy when the program’s original head coach, Timothy Corcoran, resigned following an arrest for driving drunk and leaving the scene of an accident in which he struck a 16-year-old bicyclist. State police later found Mr. Corcoran at the McDonald’s on Route 24 in Riverside.

jennifer@timesreview.com 

GARRET MEADE PHOTO | Courtney Murphy, who is recovering from a sprained left ankle, shot on the side during Monday’s practice.

While her Mattituck teammates drilled and scrimmaged on the basketball court during Monday’s practice, Courtney Murphy was off to the side, doing her own thing.

“Oh, how I’d love to be out there,” Murphy said. “I’d give anything to be out there right now.”

As it is, Murphy is hampered by a left ankle that is sprained in two places. She sustained the injuries while playing soccer this fall.

“It’s been almost six weeks and it’s still not healed,” she said. “This first week [of practice] is like a test week to see how much I can handle. … It’s still not where I would like it to be and it’s frustrating to wait. I have to wait for it to get better.”

In the meantime, Murphy jogs a little, does some shooting on a side basket and dribbles a lot “just because I need to do something,” said the junior forward, who wears a brace on the ankle that she ices after practices. “I can’t just sit and not do anything.”

Murphy is anxious to hit the court at full strength and compete for a starting position. Last season she was one of the first players off the bench along with Molly Kowalski.

The Tuckers return six players from last season’s 11-8 playoff team. Another six players are new to the team. Shannon Dwyer, a senior forward, and Katie Hoeg, a sophomore point guard, are the only returning starters.

That being the case, there are positions to be won, and the competition is expected to be tight.

“It’s all up for grabs,” Kowalski said. “You really have to earn it.”

As Mattituck coach Steve Van Dood put it, the Tuckers are “young, young and inexperienced.”

And by that, he meant inexperienced at the high school varsity level. They are not new to basketball.

“All the girls we have are all year-round players, every single one of them,” Van Dood said. “They all play the summer league, do the right things.”

Mattituck had the third-ranked offense in Suffolk County last season when it averaged about 54 points per game. What the Tuckers lost in height they have gained in speed. They are athletic and quick, which is why they will turn up the speed this season. That means steals, pressing defense and transition basketball. A new rule change requiring teams to advance the ball over the mid-court line in 10 seconds suits the Tuckers just fine.

“We can probably create some turnovers in the front court and do well that way,” Van Dood said. “It’s an exciting game to watch.”

Speaking of excitement, Dwyer is an exciting player to watch. Last season she was 14th in the county in scoring average with about 14 points per game.

“That’s going to be our player right there,” Van Dood said, looking on as Dwyer drove the lane for a layup during a scrimmage. “She is unbelievable.”

Sam Perino can shoot from the outside while Murphy and Kowalski provide an inside presence. Tiana Baker, who was the junior varsity team’s leading scorer last season, may also be a key figure in the offense.

The Tuckers, however, took a hit with the graduation of Allie Wilcenski, their top rebounder.

“They got to share the rebounding,” Van Dood said. “Allie was double-doubles every game almost last year, so we’re going to miss Allie on the boards.”

Murphy likes what she has seen from the team through the first several practices. “I think we look really good,” she said. “They have a lot of talent and a lot of potential to work with. … I’m excited for this season. I think we can do some great things.”

It wasn’t all that long ago when Kowalski was one of the newcomers on the team. Now she is one of the veterans.

“It’s different because Courtney, Katie and I, we kind of were the young ones a few years ago,” she said. “… It’s weird to think that we’re on the other end now.”

bliepa@timesreview.com

GARRET MEADE FILE PHOTO | Shannon Dwyer was an All-League player for Mattituck last season, averaging about 14 points a game.

One can’t help but sense that Steve Van Dood takes special pleasure in coaching this season’s Mattituck High School girls basketball team. The Tuckers will play in a different mode this season, at a faster pace. That means steals, a variety of pressing defenses and transition basketball.

“It’s an exciting game to watch,” said Van Dood.

So, why not play it? The Tuckers have the speed, they have the athleticism. A new rule requiring teams to advance the ball beyond the half-court line within 10 seconds suits Mattituck (11-8 last season) just fine.

The Tuckers have two returning starters in senior forward/center Shannon Dwyer and sophomore point guard Katie Hoeg. Dwyer was an All-League player last season, not to mention The Suffolk Times’ Mattituck Female Athlete of the Year. She finished 14th in Suffolk County in scoring, averaging about 14 points a game.

“I think everything’s falling into place for her,” Van Dood said. “The confidence is there and she is playing really, really hard.”

With the graduation of Allie Wilcenski, though, Dwyer is being asked to help out on the boards, something she is certainly capable of doing with her jumping ability.

Starting as a freshman last season, Hoeg didn’t play like a freshman. She continues to play older than her years.

“Katie Hoeg is as steady as they come,” Van Dood said. “She doesn’t turn the ball over. She just has a poise out there that’s not common in a 10th grader.”

Those two are joined by veteran forwards Molly Kowalski and Courtney Murphy, and returning guards Christine Bieber and Sam Perino.

The other half of the roster consists of newcomers: forward Colby Prokop and guards Liz Wilcenski, Lisa Angell, Madison Kent, Tiana Baker and Liz Dwyer. Baker was the junior varsity team’s leading scorer last season. Wilcenski is assistant coach Don Wilcenski’s daughter, and Dwyer, an eighth grader, is Shannon’s younger sister.

“They all bring their own nice flavor to the team,” said Van Dood. He added: “They’re a good group. They listen well. They’re playing hard. A lot can happen with a team like that.”

“They play together as a team,” Van Dood said. “They move the ball well. We finally have some outside shooting. That’s a big key for us.”

That should come in handy since the Tuckers, by Van Dood’s estimate, lost about 60 percent of their scoring to graduation. Mattituck had the third-ranked offense in Suffolk last season.

GARRET MEADE FILE PHOTO | Justina Babcock is one of four returning senior starters for Southold/Greenport.

It is safe to say that Cari Gehring is a difference-maker. Of course, just how much of a difference the senior transfer from Bishop McGann-Mercy will make for Southold/Greenport remains to be seen, but the Clippers (10-7) are counting on good things.

“Teams have to pay attention to her, so hopefully they’ll pay attention to her and that will help us attack in other places,” coach Joe Read said. “It’s nice to know that you have a person who can score points. I expect each team to try their best to stop her. That’s where I expect other people to pick up the slack.”

With the addition of McGann-Mercy, Read expects the competition in League VIII to be a little tougher, but he envisions the Clippers returning to the Suffolk County Class C final, the point where their season came to an end last season with a loss to The Stony Brook School.

Gehring, a guard who played for the United States in the United World Games this past summer, has signed a national letter of intent to play for Chestnut Hill College, an NCAA Division II team in Philadelphia. She gives a boost to the Clippers’ credibility.

As it is, the Clippers return four starters — all seniors — from last season, including two All-League selections, forward Abby Scharadin and point guard Justina Babcock. The other two starters are forward Cindy Van Bourgondien and guard Shannon Smith.

In addition, two other seniors, guard Jessica Rizzo and forward Shannon Quinn, offer varsity experience as well for a team that is built to win this season.

Read said he doesn’t know how long it will take for him to work the team’s younger players into the rotation, but he likes what he has seen from them.

Kenya Sanders, a junior forward, played for the junior varsity team last season. Sarah Tuthill, a sophomore, is an all-purpose player. Three freshmen should make their mark: guards Madison Tabor and Toni Esposito and forward Kathleen Tuthill.

“I look to be very aggressive in the back court,” Read said. “Tabor and Esposito, they’re as good as anybody defensively, and [Sarah] Tuthill, too. I think when you play us you’re going to know it.”

What the Clippers lack in height, they plan to make up for in speed.

“We’re definitely going to run,” Read said. “We want to run and wear teams down. We’re going to go full court all game.”

bliepa@timesreview.com

GARRET MEADE FILE PHOTO | Greenport’s Austin Hooks pulling down a rebound against Port Jefferson last season.

When the Greenport Porters step onto their home court Friday night to tip off the new high school boys basketball season against The Stony Brook School, it will mark the first time in 34 years that Greenport has played a game without Al Edwards as its coach. As much as the team’s new coach, Ev Corwin, might want to play it down, it will be a noteworthy occasion in team history.

Corwin, the former junior varsity coach who has succeeded the retired Edwards, admitted that it will not be a typical game for him and he will feel some nerves.

“I’ll definitely be anxious,” he said. “Yeah, it’ll be something special, but enough has been written about that and I’m ready to get the boys going. I just want to move it forward and get the season started.”

With a new season will come the start of the new Corwin era. He takes over a team that went 10-8 last season and returns Gavin Dibble, an All-Conference senior guard.

“He looks good,” Corwin said. “No one works any harder than him, and he’s been playing all year.”

For all that Dibble can do on the court, Corwin values his ball handling most of all. “He can score and stuff, but his ball handling is everything for us,” said the coach.

Two other starters from last season are back: Austin Hooks, a senior forward/center, and Timmy Stevens, a junior guard.

Corwin believes the 6-foot-4 Hooks can have a tremendous impact on the team.

“He’s ready to burst out here,” Corwin said. “I think a player like Austin can really take the next step and really be a big force in this league. … If he becomes a bigger player, we can really turn into a different team.”

Brian Tuthill, a senior forward who played a little last season before being sidelined with a dislocated shoulder, is back. So are three juniors: guard Angel Colon and twins Matt Drinkwater and John Drinkwater, who are both forwards.

The new additions to the team are forward Willie Riggins, forward Alex Perez, guard Ryan Weingart, forward Tyshe Williams and Dimitrios Karazas, a 6-foot-4 center from Greece.

Asked what would constitute a successful season for him, Corwin didn’t hesitate in answering, “A New York State title.” He said: “I told the guys our goal is to win the league and our goal is to win a state title. That’s what we’re shooting for. We’ll see where it ends.”

Corwin expects League VIII to have a lot of parity, aside from Stony Brook, which he considers the heavy favorite.

So, the Porters will be tested right off the bat.

“We’ll see where we’re at,” Corwin said. “It’s a great way to measure yourself. … I just can’t wait to get it going.”

GARRET MEADE FILE PHOTO | Gene Allen’s above-the-rim ability is an indispensable part of Mattituck’s game.

Does Mattituck (5-13) have finesse? It sure does.

Does Mattituck have gritty defense? That’s what Paul Ellwood wants to find out.

The thought of having a finesse team seems to concern Coach Ellwood. As much as finesse can do for a team, Ellwood recognizes “there are times when you just have to grind it out.”

For all of the offensive freedom Mattituck has with a three-guard offense, defense could be the critical factor in determining how far the Tuckers go this season.

“Our toughness on defense is something we have to work on,” Ellwood said. “If we play to our potential defensively, we’re going to be a tough team to beat.”

The Tuckers can throw a lot at teams, not the least of which is Gene Allen, a senior forward who can come out of nowhere to block a shot or snag a rebound off the glass.

“His nose for the ball, you can’t teach,” Ellwood said. “If he’s in the paint, he’s usually going to get the rebound.”

Allen was an All-Conference choice last season who led League VII in rebounding at 12 boards a game and led team in scoring at 12 points game. He also causes matchup problems for opponents because he can play like a guard, defend like a big man, and defend guards.

As the team’s best defender and best rebounder, Allen may be considered Mattituck’s only indispensable player because of his above-the-rim game.

Of course, that’s not to say the guard-rich Tuckers don’t have any other talent. Far from it. Last season’s starting back court of junior Will Gildersleeve and sophomore Joe Tardif is not only back, but a third talented guard has been brought into the mix: sophomore Parker Tuthill. “There will definitely be times when we have what you could call a four-guard offense,” said Ellwood.

Chris Dwyer, a junior forward, is a returning starter. The front court is also aided by twins Ian and James Nish, who are both junior forwards, and Tyler Reeve, a senior forward.

New to the team are: forward Josh Conklin, guard Chris Sledjeski, guard Auggie Knuth, guard Marcos Perivolaris and forward Ryan Foster.

“I think we should be competitive,” Ellwood said. “Every night we’re going to be in games. It’s a pretty balanced league. Southampton and Babylon are a step ahead of everybody. Center Moriches wants their name mentioned with those two teams.”

Hand checking has been outlawed and coaches have been warned that referees will clamp down on physical play this season.

“I don’t like it but it works in our favor,” said Ellwood.

GARRET MEADE FILE PHOTO | Southold’s dynamic Liam Walker, shown driving through the heart of Mattituck’s defense, can play any position except center.

Southold guard Liam Walker is a highly regarded player, not least of all by his second-year coach, Phil Reed.

“The way he’s actually playing now,” Reed said, “he’s one of the best players in the league and he could be one of the top 25 players in the county, I feel.”

The dynamic Walker, an All-League junior, has tremendous versatility. He can play any position on the court, except center. “I don’t know how many other players out there can go 1, 2, 3 or 4,” said Reed, using the numeric designations for each of the guard and forward positions.

Walker may be best suited for shooting guard, but he will undoubtedly fit in well wherever the First Settlers play him.

Southold (4-13) is expecting better things this season, and has senior guard Kenji Fujita and senior center Kevin McGough, both pieces of last season’s starting lineup, to help out.

Fujita is perhaps best known for his all-out effort. “His motor goes 110 percent, 100 miles per hour whenever he’s on the court,” said Reed.

Fujita and Walker are both four-year varsity players. “These kids really know the game,” Reed said. “They know what they’re doing.”

As for the 5-foot-10 McGough, he is Southold’s enforcer, a player who plays bigger than his size. “He gets all the scrappy rebounds, he hits the floor,” Reed said. “… He’s almost like the unsung hero that’s quiet about what he does. He may get the big rebound to win the game or he may take the charge to ignite the team.”

Also back from last season’s team are junior forward Alex Poliwoda, junior guard/forward Shayne Johnson, 6-foot-4 forward/center James Penny, small forward Michael Ryan and power forward/center Jonathon Bakowski.

The rest of the team includes guard/forward Patryk Mejsak, forward/center Matthew McCarthy, point guard Ryan DiGregorio, forward/center Aidan Vandenburgh, guard Irwin Perez and guard Ryan Harroun.

“They’re one of the hardest-working teams I’ve ever coached,” Reed said. “They put a lot of effort into wanting to win. They want to make a mark. They want to make the playoffs.”

The last time the First Settlers made it to the playoffs was in 2010 when the team capped an 18-1 season with a loss to Stony Brook in the Suffolk County Class C final.

“I’m very happy with what I have,” Reed said. “I think I got it all. I have scoring. I have kids that can play defense. I have kids that can go out and bang and be physical and stuff.”

bliepa@timesreview.com

MICHAEL WHITE PHOTO | The doors have been closed at Love Lane Market for several weeks.

After overcoming electrical problems caused by Hurricane Sandy and reopening this summer, the story of Love Lane Market has come to a sad conclusion.

RACHEL YOUNG FILE PHOTO | The coffee bar that had been set up for the market’s re-opening in late June.

The boutique grocery store and eatery in Mattituck has shuttered for good, owner Michael Avella announced Thursday.

“I apologize to my customers, my employees and the community at large,” he said. “Although I did what I could, we were not able to recover from the losses sustained from Superstorm Sandy.

“Intellectually, I know that many others have faced even worse devastation in the aftermath of the storm; homes lost, lives and loved ones lost,” he continued. “But, personally, I will likely never recover from the emotional and financial loss this year-long nightmare has caused.”

Love Lane Market had closed its doors last November after an electrical malfunction during the storm caused the store’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning system to burn out, effectively spoiling all refrigerated merchandise, Mr. Avella told The Suffolk Times earlier this year. He had told The Suffolk Times he lost $100,000 worth of inventory after Sandy.

The business opened again in late June, this time with a full coffee bar.

Then last month, previous editions of The Suffolk Times and a pile of courtesy magazines began piling up among leaves at the market’s front entrance. The market appeared closed.

That was when Ann Johnson of Mattituck was found peering inside the darkened shop’s windows with two friends.

“It’s too bad,” she said. “It’s a nice space, too. And he [the owner] was such a nice guy. He put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into reopening. He was just here last weekend.”

When asked last month if the business was closed, Mr. Avella said a final decision hadn’t been made. He had still wanted to look into grant money through the state, he said.

But on Thursday, he said he had exhausted all his options.

“I spent months applying to FEMA, the SBA and state for assistance through their much publicized programs,” Mr. Avella said. “The application process started in November 2012 and became dozens of pages in length, including hundreds of pages of supporting documents.

“Over the months, I responded to endless requests for additional paperwork. At times it appeared that these agencies were looking for any excuse to deny my appeals for assistance. Ultimately, I was unable play their waiting game any longer.”

When asked what she would like to see come to the storefront in the heart of Mattituck’s historic business district, Ms. Johnson suggested someplace fun, someplace where her adult children could go to have fun — “instead of having to go to Dune Road.”

“A nice restaurant pub would be great, for nighttime,” she said.

With Michael White

ryoung@timesreview.com

LINDENHURST TOURNAMENT FINAL | TUCKERS 62, WARRIORS 56

It was going to take a good high school girls basketball team to beat Amityville in the Lindenhurst Tournament final on Thursday night. It was going to take a team with athleticism and speed that can run the floor. It was going to take a team with shooters and rebounders who can make defensive stops difficult. It was going to take a team that can wreak havoc with its press and force turnovers.

It was going to take a team like, well, Mattituck.

As tough as those defensive stops might have been, the Tuckers made enough of them down the stretch to hold off Amityville and triumph, 62-56, in an entertaining, well-played contest. The young Tuckers (2-0) showed poise that belied their years. Although they trailed for much of the game, it was close the whole way. The biggest margin was 8 points when Amityville (1-1) surged to a 12-4 lead at the start. After that, the score was tied six times and there were 12 lead changes.

The last of those lead changes came early in the fourth quarter when the first of back-to-back buckets by Tiana Baker — part of an 8-0 run to open the quarter — put the Tuckers ahead, 46-44. Mattituck maintained enough separation, thanks to 10 fourth-quarter points by Shannon Dwyer. Dwyer, the tournament’s most valuable player, scored 14 of her 18 points in the second half. The senior forward also had 8 assists, 7 rebounds and 1 steal.

Three other Tuckers hit double figures. Baker, an impressive freshman shooting guard, finished with 15 points. Katie Hoeg had 11 points to go with 10 rebounds, and Molly Kowalski produced 11 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal.

One of Mattituck’s starters, Christine Bieber, left the game in the second quarter and did not return. Coach Steve Van Dood said Bieber was poked in the eye and lost a contact lens. Samantha Perino replaced her and did well, as did another role player off the bench, Liz Dwyer, Shannon’s younger sister.

Amityville, a Class A team that managed only three wins last season, is obviously improved. The Warriors’ talented senior point guard, Shawná Thornton, proved to be a handful, with her penetrating drives, passing and shooting touch. She finished with a remarkable statistical line, just two steals shy of a quadruple-double: 21 points, 13 assists, 11 rebounds and 8 steals.

Her back-court partner, N’Dea Maddox, added 18 points.

Amityville coach Shabue Mosley said poor shot selection hurt his team in the fourth quarter. The Warriors shot 5 of 19 in the final period and 32.9 percent for the game. That included 2-for-20 from 3-point range.

Mattituck was more efficient on offense, sinking 46.4 percent of its field-goal attempts.

In Mattituck’s opening-round game the day before, it trailed by 6 points in the fourth quarter before recovering for a 50-44 victory over Our Lady of Mercy. Shannon Dwyer sank 5 of 6 free throws in the fourth quarter as part of her 17-point performance. Hoeg supplied 12 points and 8 rebounds.

Our Lady of Mercy won the consolation game on Thursday, beating host Lindenhurst, 44-25.

After Thursday’s final, the tournament’s championship trophy was handed to Van Dood, who immediately passed it on to his players. Baker and Hoeg were selected to the all-tournament team along with Shannon Dwyer.

The smiling Tuckers, who had lost to Lindenhurst in last year’s tournament final, had a long bus ride home Thursday night as they headed out of the Lindenhurst High School gym. The hardware they were carrying with them undoubtedly made it worth the drive.

bliepa@timesreview.com

CYNDI MURRAY PHOTO | True Light Church pastor Keith Benson with wife Claire, daughter Connie, 5, and son Noah, 7, in the newly founded church in Cutchogue.

Without sounding trite, the Bensons are the first to call their decision to found a new church in Cutchogue “a leap of faith.”

It was a little more than two years ago when Pastor Keith Benson, a longtime youth pastor at Shirley Assembly of God and his wife, Claire, took the first steps toward establishing True Light Church — a Christian church whose message includes values of community and family — on the North Fork.

While living in Shirley, the young couple, along with their two children, Noah, 7, and Connie, 5, frequently visited in Orient, where Mr. Benson’s parents live. The Bensons said they felt a calling to move to the North Fork to found their own church, and in 2011, with the blessing of the Shirley Assembly of God, Mr. Benson quit his job, bringing the family to Mattituck with little more than a prayer and a plan in pocket, he said.

“We felt really compelled to be out in this area,” Mr. Benson said. “We really just felt a heart for this area and this community. We feel that God himself was saying, ‘Trust me, take this leap of faith.’ So we did.”

The decision did not come without challenges for the family.

Five days after Mr. Benson left his position in Shirley, his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 39, putting their dreams of founding a church on hold.

“Initially fear came over me,” Ms. Benson said. “We only had COBRA for health insurance and we lived two hours away from where I would have surgery and frequent doctors appointments. Travel expenses alone were costly, in addition to the co-pays, prescriptions and endless doctor’s bills we faced. It was a whole different life shift.”

Over the course of a year, Ms. Benson underwent a double mastectomy, followed by six rounds of chemotherapy and numerous breast reconstruction surgeries. While she went through treatment, the couple never lost sight of the church they dreamed to make a reality one day. During her recovery, the couple hosted Bible studies out of their home for more than a year, developing a small, close-knit congregation of 20 local people the pair met through work and school connections.

After a year of treatment, Ms. Benson had a clean bill of health and the Bensons once-again focused on the goal of founding a church.

“We knew we were just ready to start this church,” she said. “So we just kept plugging along and trying to find a space.”

In September the couple found the location of their dreams, a building on Route 25 in Cutchogue that formerly housed the now defunct Maritime Day School.

The modern two-story building was a perfect fit for the family church, Mr. Benson said. The space already had a nursery, a children’s play area and a space for worship the Bensons call the “Family Room.”

“We walked in and we knew this was our church,” Ms. Benson said. “Everything was here, we just painted.”

Without affiliation, the independent True Light Church is operating as a missionary, collecting money and relying on parishioners and volunteers to keep the congregation strong.

“We want to be a church that is like a family and that cares about each other like a family does and from that we received a tremendous amount of support,” Mr. Benson said. “We had people come and donate time and materials and help. We had friends who are carpenters that came and put in a whole day’s work and people from the community that went above and beyond to make this happen.”

The couple describes the newly founded church as a beacon of hope, inspired by a unique find on the beaches of Orient Point more than two years earlier.

“We were on the beach and I picked up a little, white rock and flipped it over and someone wrote on this particular rock ‘fallen, but beautiful’ and it was poetic because it really kind of explains people and this area because it’s beautiful but there is real life going on and there are people that have fallen and been hurt, but there is beauty and growth here,” Ms. Benson said.

Services are held on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. at True Light Church, located at 31095 Main Road, Cutchogue.

cmurray@timesreview.com

GARRET MEADE FILE PHOTO | Mattituck has numerous scoring options, including Will Gildersleeve, who scored a career-high 27 points against Bridgehampton.

Two games into the high school boys basketball season, and Parker Tuthill has yet to score a 2-point basket.

Under normal circumstances, that would be a cause for concern. As it is, though, Mattituck coach Paul Ellwood can flash a grin at that statistical oddity, the reason being Tuthill has drilled 10 of the team’s 20 3-point shots so far.

Ironically, Ellwood said he thinks of Tuthill, a sophomore guard in his first varsity season, as a driver before a shooter. But Tuthill has been doing what good players do: He is taking what the defense gives him.

In Mattituck’s first two games — non-league wins over Bridgehampton on Friday and over Smithtown Christian on Saturday — the Tuckers faced zone defenses. Tuthill, who was the first player off the bench in both games, thrived.

Tuthill downed seven 3-pointers for 21 points in the 79-50 win over Smithtown Christian as the Tuckers tied a school record with 12 treys, equaling the amount of 3-pointers they hit in a 1999 game against Southold.

“I’m surprised I hit all those shots,” Tuthill said before Tuesday’s practice. “I just felt it that game. The basket looks 10 times bigger when you’re making shots.”

Will Gildersleeve added 17 points. Gene Allen provided the Tuckers with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

The Tuckers had eight threes in their 83-60 defeat of Bridgehampton. Gildersleeve struck for a career-high 27 points in that game. Allen, who grabbed 13 rebounds, scored 15 points as did Chris Dwyer.

“We have a lot of zone breakers,” said Ellwood.

Tuthill is obviously one of them. He has invested hours upon hours of time into his outside shot, and it shows. Sometimes he can tell as soon as the ball leaves his hands that it will fall through the netting. “I love that feeling,” he said.

Tuthill looks like he belongs on the varsity scene, and he looks sure of himself.

“He is very level-headed,” Ellwood said. “When you look at Parker when he comes off the floor, you don’t know if he just turned the ball over three times in a row or just hit three threes in a row. He has the same temperament, which is a good thing.”

The Tuckers give opponents a lot to deal with. Aside from Tuthill, the team has legitimate outside threats in Gildersleeve, Joe Tardif, Dwyer and Auggie Knuth. That sort of outside shooting creates openings for penetrating drives to the basket.

“That’s the thing, anyone can score on our team,” Allen said. “We’re deep in scoring. Even the kids coming off the bench can score, so scoring really isn’t a problem for our team.”

For all the points the Tuckers put on the scoreboard, Ellwood sounded most encouraged by the improvement he saw defensively in the team. “Our defense led to easy offense in those games,” he said. “That’s what kind of got us going.”

In at least one instance, the box score lied. Tardif managed only 1 point against Smithtown Christian, but Ellwood said Tardif’s defensive work in the full-court press was a difference-maker. “He changed the whole tempo of the game,” said the coach.

The 6-foot-2 Allen, who plays bigger than his height, had four dunks over the two games. The Tuckers had only two dunks over the past 11 years heading into this season.

“It gets the crowd riled up,” Allen said. “I like it.”

The Tuckers must also like the play of Gildersleeve, who seems to be flourishing among all the offensive weapons surrounding him.

“They have to double him to stop him from getting to the basket because he’ll get to the basket,” Ellwood said. “… He made great decisions both nights. … A lot of times he found open teammates under the basket for easy baskets. Other times he got to the foul line and other times he finished, and obviously he finished a lot.”

By sharing the ball and making sound decisions on the break, the Tuckers hit the season running. Ellwood said Mattituck is playing like a late January team instead of an early December team. Ellwood said his rotation went a “solid eight deep,” but all 13 players played significant minutes in the two games.

It seems as if the Tuckers are well-prepared for their next two games, League VII contests against Port Jefferson and Wyandanch. Perhaps Tuthill’s first 2-pointer will come in one of those games.

“Hopefully next game,” Ellwood said, “although we’re playing Port Jeff, which plays zone, so I don’t know.”

bliepa@timesreview.com

BARBARELLEN KOCH PHOTO | The long-standing 15,000-pound oak tree was removed from Mattituck Presbyterian Church Thursday.

Thursday marked the end of an era at Mattituck Presbyterian Church. An iconic oak tree, which is believed to have stood for more than 350 years, was removed from its roots.

The rotting tree had taking quite a hit over the years. Nearly two years ago to the day, a large section of the tree fell following a severe windstorm. At the time, the church removed the canopy, but a 30-foot trunk that was unharmed by the gusts remained.

Since, portions of the tree slowly began to decay, threatening its overall health and the safety of people and places around it, including the nearly 300-year-old church building, said Mattituck Presbyterian Church trustee Sal Messina.

“It’s really a shame about the tree,” he said as he watched the long-standing oak be removed Thursday morning. “I’m glad it didn’t do any damage.”

Anne Tuthill, a long-time worshiper at Mattituck Presbyterian Church, also looked on.

“I’m torn about [removing the tree],” she said. “It was a beautiful tree when it was healthy, but they said it is on its way out and while I’m sorry, I guess trees get like that after a while.”

While the iconic oak is gone from its roots, it will continue to remain a part of the community.

Promptly after being removed, the 15,700-pound tree was moved to Will Paulson Woodworks in Mattituck where it will be crafted to served another purpose.

“There are a lot of different options for what to do with the wood,” Mr. Messina said.

Some ideas include using the material to make tables, commemorative plaques and even a historical reference guide, he said.

“We have one member that is interested in doing an historical timeline about Mattituck based on the rings of the trunk,” Mr. Messina said. “You know, maybe put brass tacks in marking historical things that happened; this way [the tree] will live forever in a way.”

cmurray@timesreview.com

ROBERT O’ROURK PHOTO | Chris Dwyer of Mattituck sinking a 3-point shot as Port Jefferson’s Cameron Harvey defends. Dwyer scored a career-high 21 points.

TUCKERS 64, ROYALS 54

He is the indispensable one, the single player that the Mattituck High School boys basketball team cannot afford to lose. On Friday night he showed why.

Gene Allen, whose above-the-rim game cannot be duplicated by any of his teammates, put his leaping ability and nose for rebounds to good use as the Tuckers opened their League VII season in winning fashion, 64-54 over visiting Port Jefferson. Allen had a double-double by halftime. The 6-foot-1 senior forward played all 32 minutes, grabbing 22 rebounds to go with 19 points and 5 assists.

Afterward, Port Jefferson coach Keith Buehler, who appreciates good basketball, congratulated Allen on his performance and shook his hand.

ROBERT O’ROURK PHOTO | Mattituck’s Parker Tuthill, a sophomore guard making his first varsity start, popped a 3-point attempt over Port Jefferson’s Harry Colucci.

Mattituck (3-0, 1-0) is known for its fine guard play and depth in the back court, but it was two of the team’s big bodies, Allen and Chris Dwyer, who made the biggest difference. Dwyer, a junior forward, hit three 3-pointers and dropped in a career-high 21 points.

Mattituck coach Paul Ellwood started the game with three guards in the starting lineup: Will Gildersleeve, Joe Tardif and Parker Tuthill, a sophomore making his first varsity start. That trio combined for 23 points, 12 of them coming from Gildersleeve. Tardif and Tuthill had 6 assists each.

Allen and the Tuckers took charge from the beginning as Mattituck hit 8 of its 13 shots from the field in the first quarter. Port Jefferson (0-2, 0-1), meanwhile, had started off going 3 for 15, and never held the lead.

Allen had 10 points by the time Mattituck built a 19-6 lead early in the second quarter. Perhaps Allen’s most memorable play came on a nifty setup from Tardif in the third quarter when Allen directed in a soft touch shot for a 37-27 lead. The Royals pulled to within 8 points of Mattituck three times in the third quarter, but that was as close as they got.

Port Jefferson kept itself in the game thanks to the play of Cody Steiner (24 points, 10 rebounds) and 20 offensive rebounds. Also, the Royals turned the ball over only four times.

But the Tuckers can put up points, and they did that with 47.4-percent field-goal shooting to Port Jefferson’s 33.3 percent.

bliepa@timesreview.com

DANIEL DE MATO PHOTO | Shannon Dwyer passing the ball during the first quarter. Dwyer shot 7 of 10 from the field and scored 19 points in Mattituck’s win over Westhampton Beach.

TUCKERS 49, HURRICANES 36

A sly grin flashed across Shannon Dwyer’s face as she dribbled the ball during the waning moments of the Mattituck High School girls basketball team’s game on Saturday. That may be because Dwyer knew the Tuckers were about to secure the non-league win at Westhampton Beach High School even though they had not exactly played their “A” game.

As it was, though, the Tuckers played well enough for a 49-36 win, their fourth in six games.

While the game may have not have won many points for artistry, the result is what counted most to coach Steve Van Dood. “A win’s a win,” he told his players afterward.

The Tuckers can thank Dwyer, their athletic senior forward, for the role she played. As is usually the case, Dwyer delivered, putting up a game-high 19 points on 7-for-10 shooting from the field and 4-for-5 shooting from the foul line. She also had 8 rebounds.

Mattituck led since early in the second quarter when a Dwyer basket broke a 10-10 tie, but an improved Westhampton Beach team (3-2, 1-1 League V), which is one win shy of equaling its total from last season, kept threatening to come back.

Dwyer scored 10 points during a 14-2 run that gave the Tuckers a 22-12 lead in the second quarter. But Westhampton Beach didn’t fold. The Hurricanes cut their deficit to 3 points twice and 2 points once.

Each time, though, the Tuckers had an answer.

A basket by Westhampton Beach’s Brooke Alpert opened the third quarter, making the score 24-21. But then Liz Dwyer and her older sister Shannon came back with successive baskets.

Later in the quarter, a layup by Westhampton Beach’s Lauren Smith made it 28-25. Mattituck responded with a free throw by Liz Dwyer and a hoop by Tiana Baker to restore some breathing room.

Shortly after that, Westhampton Beach tightened things up again when a layup by Ivonne Grunseich made it 31-29. Yet again, Mattituck replied, this time with back-to-back buckets by Baker and Liz Dwyer.

A 3-point play the old-fashioned way by Shannon Dwyer 1 minute 17 seconds into the fourth quarter ignited a 7-0 run for the Tuckers, the other points coming from Baker. That may have been the coup de grace.

Baker, a freshman, scored 10 of her 14 points in the second half.

Katie Hoeg brought the Tuckers 8 rebounds, 7 assists and 6 steals to go with 5 points.

Smith was Westhampton Beach’s top scorer. The senior guard registered 10 points before fouling out with 27 seconds remaining. All five of her fouls were committed in the second half.

It was a sloppy game, with the teams combining for 48 turnovers.

bliepa@timesreview.com

GARRET MEADE FILE PHOTO | Mattituck junior forward Kaan Ilgin has received a flood of honors recently, not the least of which was being named an All-Region player.

Kaan Ilgin has yet to play his senior season, and he may very well already be the most celebrated soccer player Mattituck High School has ever had.

Earlier this month, Ilgin was named an All-Region player by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. Mattituck coach Mat Litchhult said he believes Ilgin is the first Mattituck player to have that honor bestowed upon him.

In addition, the junior forward from Turkey was also a first team All-State player, made Newsday’s All-Long Island first team, and was selected as the Suffolk County Small Schools Player of the Year. That’s quite a postseason haul of hardware for one of the most skillful players the Tuckers have ever seen.

“He’s got the most skill and talent as anyone who has ever played at Mattituck,” Litchhult said. The coach added: “Some of the things he does on the field, it’s mind-boggling to me. The talent is there.”

No doubt about it. Ilgin was instrumental in Mattituck’s impressive 2013 season, which saw the team go 15-3, all of the losses coming by 1-0 scores in double overtime, including a loss to Carle Place in a Southeast Region Class B semifinal. Ilgin put up 18 goals and 17 assists, playing in all 18 games.

“His balance between goals and setting people up” helped the team the most, Litchhult said. “Eighteen goals and 17 assists really speaks for itself. Teams know and they’re going to know when they play Mattituck, you’re going to have to stop Kaan Ilgin.”

That’s a lot easier said than done.

Ilgin’s felicity with the ball is reminiscent of the playing style of a former Mattituck player, Kevin Litchhult, the coach’s younger brother who scored 27 goals his senior season in 1999.

“I think on the ball, skill-wise, Kaan’s talent is I would say better, but Kevin’s nose for the goal and goal-scoring ability is better,” said Mat Litchhult.

The All-Region level is one step below being an All-American, something Ilgin can shoot for next season.

“He has another year to go,” Mat Litchhult said. “I think next year could be a year for even bigger things for him.”

Two other Tuckers made the All-State team, junior center back Paul Hayes and junior forward Mario Arreola. Mattituck’s senior goalkeeper, Stephen Ostrowski, received the John Ruffini Award for recording 10 shutouts this past season.

PORTERS CALLED GOOD SPORTS A huge three-and-a-half-foot trophy was sitting in a Greenport High School classroom on Tuesday. Why wasn’t it displayed in the school’s trophy showcase?

Quite simply because it will not fit. It’s also too big to put in the main office, said Chris Golden, coach of the Greenport/Shelter Island boys soccer team, so the perpetual Suffolk County Soccer Officials Sportsmanship Award remains for now in the classroom where Golden teaches history.

The Porters were presented with the award this month for the second year in a row and for the third time over all (they also earned it in 2003). No other team has won the award, which dates back to 1989, that many times before, and the only other teams to receive the honor more than once are Hauppauge (2001 and 2002) and Bayport-Blue Point (2009 and 2010), according to Golden.

This past season the Porters were young, inexperienced and finished with a 3-11 record, but the sportsmanship honor undoubtedly brightened up their year.

“Last year I was honored, but this year I don’t think I could really use words to convey how appreciative I am of the boys on the team and everyone who is a part of Greenport soccer,” Golden said. “This means a lot. It means a lot to the kids. It means a lot to the school and the community.”

The Porters were shown only two yellow cards this past season and not one red card. The criteria for the award takes into account the whole school setting and environment that soccer officials experience when they work games. Golden said it reflects everyone associated with the program, including the players, coaches and fans. He said it adds up to a sense that Greenport is a welcoming place.

Golden said he is not big on rules for his team, but he does emphasize one rule. “Treat everybody with respect,” he said. “That’s the big one.”

Concerning his players, Golden said: “We spend a lot of time talking about the importance of handling yourself, not only as an athlete, but as a person. I love to win. We all want to win. You can’t guarantee a win, but you can work toward being the best possible student-athlete that you can be.”

“I’m more concerned with the kids as people,” he continued. “I see too much negative in youth sports, too much negative in high school sports, and it doesn’t have to be that way.”

bliepa@timesreview.com

COURTESY PHOTO | From left, junior varsity coach Tom Taylor, Ryan Weingart, Byron Rivas, Eddie Rogers and coach Chris Golden show off awards Greenport/Shelter Island won, including the Suffolk County Soccer Officials Sportsmanship Award.

GARRET MEADE PHOTO | Mattituck’s Joe Tardif, left, kept in close contact while guarding Greenport’s Gavin Dibble.

TUCKERS 75, PORTERS 65 (OT)

The Mattituck Tuckers undoubtedly knew that if they wanted to emerge from Friday night’s non-league boys basketball game against the finely tuned Greenport Porters with a win that they were going to have to put some hard work in. As it turned out, four minutes of overtime and a tremendous effort by Gene Allen did the trick.

Allen scored 17 points from the fourth quarter on, and the Tuckers outscored the visitors from Greenport by 12-2 in overtime to secure a hard-fought 75-65 victory. With their first win over Greenport since December of 2003, the Tuckers (5-0 over all, 2-0 League VII) kept their unbeaten record intact.

Mattituck coach Paul Ellwood said he saw a switch flip in Allen sometime in the fourth quarter when the senior forward became the game’s dominant force. Allen put up a career-high 27 points and 25 rebounds to go with 4 steals, 3 assists and 2 blocks.

Mattituck’s strategy of getting Greenport (3-2, 3-1 League VIII) into foul trouble worked. The Porters entered overtime without two of their starters, Brian Tuthill and Austin Hooks, who fouled out in the fourth quarter. They were later joined on the bench by a third starter, Gavin Dibble, who picked up his fifth foul with 18.3 seconds left in the game.

Dibble put in 7 of his 20 points during an 11-0 run that gave the Porters a 23-17 lead 2:14 into the second quarter.

Late in the third quarter, back-to-back buckets by Hooks extended the Greenport lead to 49-38.

But Mattituck wasn’t done. Far from it. The Tuckers rallied behind the play of Allen, who scored 9 of his team’s first 11 points in the fourth quarter. Then two free throws and a putback by Parker Tuthill tied the score at 54-54 before a free throw by Will Gildersleeve put the Tuckers ahead.

The teams twice traded leads before Gildersleeve nailed a corner jumper for 3 points and a 61-56 Mattituck lead.

Shortly after, Hooks fouled out, bringing an end to what coach Ev Corwin said was the best game he ever saw the senior forward play for Greenport. Hooks finished with 23 points and 12 rebounds.

A Timmy Stevens layup cut Mattituck’s lead to 61-60. Then Allen sank a pair of free throws, making it 63-60 with 15.1 seconds to go in regulation time.

The Tuckers had a foul to give down the stretch but didn’t use it, and the sharp-shooting Dibble knocked down a 3-point shot from the top of the key with 9/10ths of a second left to force overtime. The fired up Dibble, who shot 6 of 13 from the field, was mobbed by teammates as he headed toward the bench to prepare for overtime.

Overtime, however, was Mattituck’s time as attrition took its toll on Greenport. The Tuckers scored the first 10 points in the extra period to gain some separation.

Mattituck’s balanced offense received 15 points and 10 rebounds from Chris Dwyer, 14 points from Gildersleeve and 13 points from Joe Tardif.

Dibble passed for 10 assists. Stevens added 12 points and Angel Colon had 10 for the Porters.

The Tuckers did a good job of protecting the ball. They made only 7 turnovers to Greenport’s 20.

bliepa@timesreview.com

DANIEL DE MATO PHOTO | Shoreham-Wading River’s Courtney Clasen was unable to block this shot by Mattituck’s Liz Dwyer in the first quarter, but Clasen finished with the game with 9 blocks.

WILDCATS 50, TUCKERS 45

The Shoreham-Wading River High School girls basketball team suffered a blow recently when one of its best players, senior forward Taylor Whiffen, transferred; she now plays for Sachem East.

The Wildcats undoubtedly felt the loss, but they can be thankful they still have Courtney Clasen. A powerful reminder of Clasen’s value was given Friday when the forward seemed to be everywhere at once, making big plays down the stretch to hold off Mattituck in a non-league game in Shoreham.

What did Clasen do in her team’s 50-45 victory?

Just about everything.

The 5-foot-9 junior scored 21 points, just 1 shy of her career-high, shooting 8 of 16 from the field and 5 of 7 from the free-throw line. She also was a force under the boards, coming down with 19 rebounds in addition to blocking 9 shots. And, for the record, her statistical line also included 4 steals and 2 assists.

Perhaps even more impressive afterward was the postgame reaction of her coach, Adam Lievre, when asked about Clasen’s performance. “Typical” was the word he used.

A typical showing for an atypical player.

Katie Hoeg, who guarded Clasen for most of the game, called her the best all-around player she ever played against.

Clasen’s contributions were the undoubted difference. The Wildcats (4-3) twice built leads as large as 10 points, only to see Mattituck (5-4) close the gap after 5 straight points by Shannon Dwyer and back-to-back baskets by Tiana Baker (the first a 3-pointer). They were part of a 14-2 run that gave the Tuckers a 41-39 edge in the fourth quarter. But moments later, Dwyer picked up her fourth personal foul. She then was charged with a blocking foul to foul out with 3 minutes 5 seconds left in the game.

That was a gut punch for the Tuckers, who held a 1-point lead at the time of Dwyer’s exit to the bench. Meanwhile, Clasen, athletic and fast, continued to do her thing as the contest saw six lead changes in the final 3:57.

Mattituck’s last lead came when Liz Dwyer, Shannon’s younger sister, hit a foul-line jumper for a 45-44 score with less than two minutes to go. Those were Mattituck’s last points.

A free throw by Shoreham’s Jessica McCormack evened the score at 45-45.

Perhaps fittingly, Clasen’s hustle brought about the go-ahead point for her team. After McCormack missed her second free throw, Mattituck’s Courtney Murphy came down with the rebound, but Clasen stole the ball away from her and drew a foul. Clasen made one of the foul shots with 1:19 to go, putting her side ahead for good. Later, she converted a layup off a slicing drive through the middle of the lane and hit a pair of free throws after Baker fouled out with 8.3 seconds left.

Shoreham’s next leading scorer after Clasen was Shannon Rosati with 8 points.

Shannon Dwyer, who shot 5 of 15 from the field and sank 6 of 8 foul shots, finished with 16 points. Liz Dwyer produced 10 points. Hoeg collected 10 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 blocks and 2 steals to go with 6 points.

It was the fourth game the Wildcats played since they lost Whiffen, but it was also the first game back for Kerri Clark, the senior guard who suffered a hamstring injury in the season opener. Clark supplied 7 points coming off the bench.

Mattituck, which had won three of its previous four games, is no stranger to injury, either. The Tuckers are without Colby Prokop for the rest of the season. The junior guard suffered tears to her anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments, said Mattituck coach Steve Van Dood.

bliepa@timesreview.com

FILE PHOTO | Southold Town police arrested a Florida man Friday on DWI charges.

A Florida man was nabbed on a drunken driving charge early Friday morning after crashing his car in Mattituck, police said.

Salvatore Fiore, 28, of Sarasota, Fla., was arrested just after 3:30 a.m. on Pike Street after police received a call about a motor vehicle accident, officials said.

When police responded to the scene, Mr. Fiore failed several roadside sobriety tests, officials said.

He was charged with felony driving while intoxicated and held overnight for arraignment in Southold Town court.

No other details about the accident were immediately available.

Each each on Jan. 1 thousands of Americans embark on a mission to improve their lives and the lives of those around. The popular tradition of making a New Year’s resolution is alive and well today on the North Fork.

Check out what some of the locals are aiming to accomplish in 2014:

TIM KELLY FILE PHOTO | Doris and Ron McGreevy of Mattituck survey the stretch of Long Island Sound beach east of Mattituck Inlet that will be rebuilt with material dredged from the inlet.

Residents living east of Mattituck Inlet have long watched their sand-starved beach recede, thanks to two stone jetties that block the sand’s natural drift.

The jetties not only contribute to coastline erosion but also raise navigational safety concerns for commercial and recreational vessels entering and leaving Mattituck Inlet, which is a federal waterway under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

In May, the Army Corps accepted responsibility for the jetties’ inadvertent effects and agreed to dredge the inlet, deepening the waterway and using the dredged material to rebuild the heavily eroded area of the Sound beach to its east.

This was a project more than 15 years in the making.

While most neighbors, boaters and nearby business owners supported the project, one Mattituck couple spearheaded the effort to get it done, mostly by pursuing government officials to push for funding — no matter the mood in the nation’s capital.

“They fought hard over the years, starting at the local level, eventually concentrating their efforts toward Washington … refusing to take no for an answer,” said Dave Bergen, a former Southold Town Trustee.

For their role in pressing political leaders and the Army Corps to act, Ron and Doris McGreevy of Lloyds Lane in Mattituck have been named The Suffolk Times’ Civic People of the Year.

Doris McGreevy, who credits her husband with doing “most of the work,” said the journey began while she chatted with two of her neighbors one random afternoon.

“We said, ‘We have to do something about this,’ ” she recalled. “We saw the inlet was blocking the flow of the sand, and it was one of the reasons we have extreme damage to our beach.”

The McGreevys said they wanted the Army Corps to be held accountable and believed that going through the legislative process would make it happen.

“We felt that we had enough trust in that process to go that route,” Ms. McGreevy said. “We felt if we engaged our representatives, and they understood the situation, they would then go through the political channels they knew to come up with the remedy.”

In choosing that route, the couple took on a more than decade-long battle, but never lost sight of their goal.

In May, the federal government agreed to dredge the inlet under Section 111 of the 1968 federal River and Harbor Act, requiring the Corps to mitigate erosion caused by its projects. In December, the Army Corps of Engineers finalized a $2.2 million agreement with Port Jefferson-based contractor Village Dock Contracting Inc., said Chris Gardner, an Army Corps spokesman, adding that a project start date is currently being discussed.

The dredging work, which calls for the removal of close to 100,000 cubic yards of material from the inlet, will both widen and deepen the inlet channel to a depth of 11 feet below mean low tide. The dredged sand will be placed on the beach in a 20-foot-wide strip about 4,500 feet long from the eastern jetty, according to Congressmen Tim Bishop’s office.

“I was first exposed to the project while running for the very first time, in the summer of 2002,” Mr. Bishop said. “It was brought to my attention by Doris McGreevy. They were very informed and very forceful advocates. I am delighted they are going to be able to see the fruit of their effort.

“They worked very hard at this and I’m glad it is paying off,” the congressman said.

While sitting at his kitchen table last month, surrounded by notes, charts and environmental studies on the inlet, Mr. McGreevy received a call from an Army Corps of Engineers official, who informed him the contract had been finalized.

“I’m finally glad,” Mr. McGreevy said, looking out his bay window. “We’ve had a lot of disappointments along the way, but we persevered.”

cmiller@timesreview.com

GARRET MEADE PHOTO | Mattituck’s Liz Dwyer dribbling into the paint during Monday night’s game in Hampton Bays. The Tuckers were outrebounded by 42-21 and whistled for 21 fouls.

BAYMEN 67, TUCKERS 56

With one sentence, Hampton Bays coach Pat McGunnigle effectively pinpointed the big difference in his girls basketball team’s victory over Mattituck on Monday night. “Well, we had Alexis, they didn’t,” he said.

Simple as that.

The Alexis he was referring to is Alexis Fotopoulos, the 5-foot-7 sophomore with the nose for the basket who gave the Tuckers fits time and time again. Try as they did, the Tuckers could not stop Fotopoulos. They threw a multitude of defenses at her, and it still wasn’t enough. On one occasion, several Tuckers collapsed on Fotopoulos and she still found a way to somehow lay the ball in the basket. Another time, facing the other way with her back to the basket, she tossed the ball over her head — and it went in! Even she had to smile at that one.

That shot, however, didn’t count because a foul had been whistled beforehand, but enough of Fotopoulos’ shots did count. She poured in a season-high 31 points, fueling a 67-56 result for the Baymen (9-1, 3-0 Suffolk County League VII), their seventh straight win. In three other games this season, Fotopoulos scored 30 points. This time her 10-for-20 field-goal shooting (2 for 6 from 3-point range) helped send the Tuckers (5-5, 1-2) back to Mattituck disappointed. She sank 9 of 11 free throws.

Fotopoulos, who had been averaging 21.6 points a game, turned in a complete game with 9 rebounds, 7 steals, 4 assists and 1 block.

Hampton Bays knows a thing or two about scoring. The Baymen have an explosive offense that rang up 99 points against Wyandanch and 85 points versus Port Jefferson.

The Tuckers did a respectable job of keeping Hampton Bays from piling up crazy points. The Baymen were held to 37.9-percent shooting from the field, about 10 percent lower than what they normally shoot. But a 42-21 advantage in rebounds and a large disparity in fouls (21 by Mattituck and 9 by Hampton Bays) helped the Baymen.

Although the lead changed hands seven times in the first half (a 3-pointer by Fotopoulos late in the second quarter gave Hampton Bays the lead for good), the Baymen scored the first 8 points of the third quarter to give themselves some breathing room. An 11-2 burst bridging the third and fourth quarters made it 48-35.

Katie Hoeg’s fourth 3-pointer of the game pulled the Tuckers to within 6 at 53-52, but that is as close as Mattituck got down the stretch.

Also feeding Hampton Bays’ offense was Hannah Reed with 15 points and Patricia Liotta with 10. Alex Maitland-Ward grabbed 12 rebounds to go with 7 points.

Mattituck received 22 points apiece from Hoeg and Tiana Baker. Shannon Dwyer, who has been Mattituck’s leading scorer with a 14.0-points-per-game average, was held to a season-low 4 points. After making the game-opening basket, Dwyer missed her next eight field-goal attempts.

bliepa@timesreview.com

ROBERT O’ROURK PHOTO | Mattituck junior Will Gildersleeve scoring 2 of his career-high 30 points against Bishop McGann-Mercy on Tuesday night.

TUCKERS 85, MONARCHS 61

The Mattituck Tuckers have the formula for winning. Now, it may not be a groundbreaking concept, and it isn’t easy to achieve, but it is mighty effective. Put four players in double figures and scratch another check mark in the win column.

It’s not common for a high school boys basketball team to have four double-figure scorers in one game, so it’s hardly surprising that when it happens, a team’s chance of winning increases considerably. It hasn’t failed the Tuckers yet. In four of their nine games this season they have had four players in double figures, and in each of them the Tuckers have won.

Imagine that.

The most recent occurrence was Tuesday night. With career-high point totals from junior Will Gildersleeve and sophomore Joe Tardif, the Tuckers proved to be too much for host Bishop McGann-Mercy, as the 85-61 final score attested. Gildersleeve rang up 30 points and Tardif dropped in 22. Both players knocked down four 3-pointers apiece on a night when not many shots didn’t fall for the Tuckers (7-2, 4-1 Suffolk County League VII).

Also reaching double figures for Mattituck were Gene Allen with 14 points and Chris Dwyer with 13. Allen also hauled in 15 rebounds to go with 8 assists and 3 steals.

The Monarchs (1-7, 0-5), who took their fifth straight loss, were led by Kurt Ryder with 14 points and Nykel Reese with 11.

Mattituck’s offensive balance makes it a handful to defend and makes it hard for opponents to focus on any single player without paying a price for it. Plus, the Tuckers are even tougher when they shoot like they did on Tuesday. They connected on 51.6 percent (33 of 64) of their shots from the field. Not only that, but from beyond the 3-point arc, they were 11 of 22.

Mattituck opened the game with a 7-0 lead and never trailed.

The Monarchs turned the ball over on their first three possessions of the third quarter — a product of Mattituck’s press. Allen followed up a teammate’s missed shot with a two-handed dunk for a 50-28 lead 2 minutes 44 seconds into the quarter. The Tuckers were relatively safe the rest of the way, although from the point of Allen’s dunk on, Mattituck coach Paul Ellwood was unhappy with his team’s defense.

bliepa@timesreview.com

GARRET MEADE PHOTO | Mattituck’s Courtney Murphy is guarded by Southampton’s Sydney Katz during Tuesday night’s game at Cutchogue East Elementary School.

TUCKERS 45, MARINERS 26

For the Mattituck Tuckers girls basketball team, there is no place like home. Or is there?

If it’s true that there is no place like home, the next best thing would be to have a home away from home. The Tuckers surely have that.

Because of a leak in the roof over Mattituck High School’s gym, the Tuckers were forced to play their home game on Tuesday night at Cutchogue East Elementary School. They didn’t seem to mind much, and the switch didn’t appear to hurt the Tuckers at all. They charged out to a 23-8 lead over an inexperienced Southampton team and its star player, Noel Hodges, before pulling away to a 45-26 win. It was the third straight victory for the Tuckers (8-5, 3-2 Suffolk County League VII), who have a 3-1 all-time record in the familiar Cutchogue East gym, where the team sometimes practices.

The Tuckers, who have won all six of their home games this season, need only two wins from their final five regular-season games to qualify for the playoffs.

Southampton (5-4, 2-3) was the Long Island Class B champion the past two years, but the Mariners have undergone tremendous change. They lost 11 of their 12 players from last season’s team, Hodges being the sole returner. The senior guard, who is headed to Brandeis University (Mass.) where she will play alongside her older sister Paris, is extremely talented, but she didn’t have enough help around her on Tuesday.

Mattituck’s headline performer, Shannon Dwyer, scored 11 of her game-high 15 points during that opening 23-8 surge, which Southampton was unable to recover from. The Tuckers made only 4 of their first 24 field-goal attempts, yet built a commanding lead largely on the strength of their defense. It was a defense that limited Southampton to 4 points in the first quarter. A couple of baskets by Hodges late in the second quarter gave the Mariners 13 points by halftime.

Hodges had 7 points at the half on 3-for-12 shooting from the field. She played well with her typical all-around game, but her shots weren’t dropping as they normally do for her. Hodges finished with 13 points on 6-for-25 shooting (0 for 7 from 3-point distance). But she also brought her side 13 rebounds, 7 steals and 2 assists.

The Tuckers coasted despite not having their best shooting day, hitting on only 29.7 percent of their field-goal attempts. But Southampton shot an even lower percentage than that: 20.4.

Katie Hoeg and Dwyer worked well together, setting each other up for baskets. The two combined for six baskets before Hoeg headed to the bench much earlier than she would have liked. Hoeg was whistled for her fourth foul with 3 minutes 29 seconds remaining in the third quarter. Just 18 seconds later she was called for her fifth foul, ending her day. She had 8 points on 4-for-14 shooting to go with 6 assists, 6 rebounds, 3 steals and 1 block.

Regardless, Mattituck’s lead was safe. The Tuckers led by as many as 23 points when a pair of free throws by Liz Dwyer made it 38-15 with 2:55 to go in the third quarter.

Tiana Baker supplied the Tuckers with 11 points and 8 rebounds.

Mattituck coach Steve Van Dood expected this would be the only game the Tuckers would have to play in Cutchogue this season. He hopes the gym floor at Mattituck High School will be ready in time for the team’s next home game on Jan. 23 against Center Moriches.

bliepa@timesreview.com