Busking brothers help West Islip remain perfect with win over Islip

West Islip senior Derek Busking burst from behind the cage with the ball in his stick, cradling it as he cut to his left before ripping a one-armed shot for a score minutes into the fourth quarter against Islip Tuesday afternoon.

The goal was fun, eyebrow-raising and a perfect example of physical dominance. That also sums up the 6-0 West Islip boys lacrosse team.

West Islip scored nine first-half goals and defeated Islip, 14-6, on the road in a Suffolk II matchup. Busking finished with a game-high six points, scoring once and assisting five more.

“We started off quick to the season, the prior years we haven’t started this quick,” Busking said. “To see all the boys buzzing, with good morale all around, we’re feeling good right now.”

Junior attackman Chase Busking scored three of his four goals in the first half. He created his own opportunity with his first goal, forcing a turnover in the offensive zone before scooping the ground ball and finishing the chance just like his older brother Derek does all too often.

“It’s amazing [to play together],” Chase Busking said. “We’ve been doing it since we were little.”

Senior goalie Travis Vine played an outstanding game in the cage, making 14 saves including five in the first quarter.

“My defense really helped me out today,” Vine said. “Our offense put a lot of goals in the net today, which helps.”

Islip sophomore Jack Halpin brought the score within one with 10:46 remaining in the second quarter before West Islip ripped off five unanswered goals. Part of that can be attributed to a strong performance by freshman FOGO Lucas Dumond, who won nine of his first 12 faceoffs to stifle any momentum Islip (3-4) built.

“We had a great game plan at the faceoff, our FOGO did a good job today,” Chase Busking said.

West Islip senior Quinn Reilly created the highlight of the day with his first of his four goals, somehow retaining control as three Islip defenders poked and prodded him before Reilly ripped a low shot to score with 53.5 seconds left in the first quarter. Sophomore Will Schwarz added five points in the win.

But that’s the deal with West Islip; worry about the Busking brothers and either Reilly or Schwarz is there to punish that focus. Force a turnover, and you still must battle through a dominant duo of Mickey Faulkner and Kevin Cinotti on defense before even testing Vine in the cage.

It’s a death by a thousand cuts delivered by a roster of 38 with 17 seniors, each one appearing more determined than the last to win.

“We have a lot of guys who have been in these situations before,” Derek Busking said. “It’s just kind of a feel that this is it this year, one last chance with your boys and you got to go all out.”