Islanders Beat Mount St. Charles on Senior Night, 68-46

The boys basketball team hosted Mount Saint Charles on Tuesday night. The Islanders turned a tight first half into a big second half lead as they dispatched the Huskies in a game that could have playoff implications, with a final score of 68-46.

It was also senior night for the Islanders, which always brings emotions to the court, from the parents, the players, the coaches and the fans as the senior players and cheerleaders are recognized at center court with their parents during halftime.

The game did not start off close. In fact, the Islanders took a commanding 15-3 lead with 10 minutes to go in the first half.  The Mounties didn't play dead for long and went on a 10-4 run to make it a 19-16 game in favor of Middletown with more than six minutes to go in the first half.

Mount St. Charles then put on a full court press and took it to the home team. Middletown led 23-21 with 2:15 to play in the half, but the Mounties quickly tied it up at 23 with one minute left before halftime.

Middletown sophomore Mark Powell was put on the line with 50 seconds to go in the half and sank both free throws. This briefly put his team up 25-23, but Mount St. Charles scored a late basket and tied the game at 25 going into the break.

SENIOR NIGHT HALFTIME

It was time for the Islander seniors and senior from the cheerleading squad to take center stage.  The announcer called each Middletown senior to meet his or her parents or guardians at center court. Lots of hugs, lots of tears, and many smiles were shared by all of the Middletown seniors.

The second half started with a strong offensive run by the Islanders who had a 39-31 lead with 10 minutes to play in the game.

Mount St. Charles kept it close until #11 for the Islanders Cam Murphy dished the ball to #40 Justin Bailey for a quick bucket and a 47-36 lead with more than six minutes to play.

The Islanders kept it going, making an 8-3 run and took a cogent 55-39 lead with under four minutes to go.

Things then took an unfortunate and scary turn for the Islanders.  Junior guard #33 Ryan Mosher slammed the back of his head hard on the court after battling for a loose ball.  He started to rise up, but quickly fell back to the court. The coaching staff along with an EMT tended to Mosher, who was relatively motionless for more than 20 minutes. An ambulance arrived shortly thereafter and the paramedics secured Mosher and removed him on a stretcher. The crowd cheered in support of Mosher as he left the court.

Play resumed a few minutes later.

The Islanders continued to pile on the Mounties offensively, who committed some less than quality fouls against the Islanders down the stretch. 

The Islanders prevailed, winning easily, 68-46.

This was the final regular season game for Middletown. The playoff scenarios will continue to unfold over the next few days and you can check back here for what comes next for the boys from Middletown.

UPDATE: At last check, Ryan Mosher was doing ok.  If any further information is made available, it will be posted as soon as possible.  We wish him well.