Tuckahoe may have come up short on the big stage on Friday afternoon, but there’s good reason to believe that the next time the Tigers set foot on the court at the Westchester County Center, things will be a bit different.
On Friday, Jan. 3, reigning Class C champion Tigers fell in a Slam Dunk Showcase tilt with Class A Pleasantville, dropping a hotly-contested 62-56 affair between the two ball clubs. But the Tigers’ poise under the bright County Center lights proved that the team is geared up to claim its third straight Section 1 crown come February.
Against the Panthers, Tuckahoe came out hot, rushing out to a 10-point lead before the larger school was able to find its first bucket. But Pleasantville rallied in the second quarter, making the most of Tiger misses to climb back contention.
Pleasantville was led by a terrific performance from freshman Maddie Beccera, who tallied 16 points, 10 rebounds and seven steals, while the Tigers’ own freshman star, Chloe Angello, amassing 34 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in the loss.
Tuckahoe coach Silvio DiSalvatore said he was pleased with his team’s performance and counted this test against Pleasantville as one of many tough games the Tigers have sought out as they look to take on the best competition around.
“In the second quarter, I thought we were a little fatigued, we weren’t closing out well, and we didn’t score as much in the second quarter, so we couldn’t press as much,” said DiSalvatore. “We hit a drought and they hit a lot of good shots because that’s a good team over there, but all in all, I thought we played a really good game.”
With the loss, the Tigers fall to 2-5 on the year, but that record may be somewhat deceiving, given the talent level of the squads that Tuckahoe has been contending with. DiSalvatore notes that it is early-season tests like these that help to prepare his young—yet experienced—squad for the inevitable big games they will play once the Class C postseason rolls around.
“Any time you get to play here, it’s a reward, and I’m grateful that we had a chance to get another game here and get a little more experience,” said DiSalvatore. “Because this is what we’re going to see down the stretch.”
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