The Island Trees Boys Varsity Basketball team knew going into the North Shore game on Tuesday, Feb. 1, that they needed to win to have a shot at the playoffs. After a tough win over Valley Stream South on the previous Saturday, the team came out slow in the first quarter. They then built what they thought was a comfortable 11 point lead in the second quarter, led by Gerard VanLeuvan, who ended up with 20 points. Then North Shore showed that they weren't going to give up, and tied the game up late in the fourth quarter. In the overtime, Island Trees pulled away, led by point guard Daman Moore, forward Norberto Cabarcas and VanLeuvan to win 70-64. An excellent game was also played by Danny Beale, Brian Mastro, Richie Catherall, Santiago Venegas and Anthony Pena.

The Island Trees Boys JV Basketball team had a tough stretch of games at the beginning of the season as they went 1 and 5, while losing four games by less than eight points. Since then, the JV Bulldogs have improved their record to 5 and 7. The Bulldogs have been led all season in scoring by Michael Thompson and Rob Giovi. Thompson is averaging 16 points per game while Giovi has been averaging 11 points per game. With the loss of Donald Peterson in the point, the Bulldogs have looked to Michael Pusci and Fernando Suarez, who are both averaging over nine rebounds per game. The Bulldogs' success has been fueled by the tenacious play of Matt Ostrowski, Pat Iannone, Chris Bitetto, A.J. Latuputty and Joe McCauley. Their defense and constant hustle have clearly ignited the Bulldog team. They hope to improve their record and finish off a good season.