A pair of Pierson boys basketball games against the Ross School this past Monday and Tuesday were postponed after Ross players tested positive for COVID-19.
Pierson Athletic Director Don McGovern said on Monday that he was still working with Ross AD Howard Brown and Section XI to reschedule the games. McGovern said he received a phone call from Brown on Saturday, and Brown said he was down to only five healthy players so the two schools mutually decided to reschedule. Monday’s game had already been postponed once this season under the same circumstances, McGovern said.
Because of the postponements, the Whalers — who are still ranked second in the state in Class C as of the latest New York State Sportswriters Association rankings as of January 2 — have only played one game between December 23 and this Friday, January 14, their next scheduled game at Greenport. Pierson was going to play Northport in a non-league game over the holiday break, but both teams agreed to cancel the game with COVID case numbers soaring around that time, head coach Will Fujita said.
The one game Pierson (6-0 League VII, 7-0 overall) played in that time span was 54-29 victory at Southold last Thursday, January 6. Charlie Culver was the leading scorer with 16 points while Wilson Bennett had 15 points and Cecil Munshin scored 13.
The Whalers will have almost an entire week off after their game at Greenport and will likely use that time wisely as they gear up for what will be their biggest game yet this season when they host neighboring Southampton (3-0 League VII, 6-2 overall), on January 20 at 6:15 p.m. The Mariners, as of Tuesday morning, were the only other undefeated team in League VII.
