If the past week has been a celebration of high school basketball in Section 1, Saturday in particular was a celebration for the hooper from Tuckahoe.
On March 8, the boys and girls Tiger teams authored a clean sweep of Class C hardware, as Tuckahoe shined at the County Center, picking up plenty of new hardware for the school’s trophy case.
On Saturday morning, Tuckahoe’s girls won their fourth-straight Section 1 crown, easily handling Haldane 50-29 to grab another Gold Ball. As has been the case so often with the Tigers this year, the victory was a true team effort, as eight players recorded at least one basket during regulation.
The team was paced by a sweet-shooting night from Ava Rogliano who came off the bench to drain four three-pointers and lead the Tigers with 14 points en route to being named Class C tournament MVP, something she says is a fantastic honor considering her role on the team.
“It honestly feels amazing, especially coming as a sixth man, but this win was all about teamwork, it was a great team win,” said Rogliano. “We all lift each other up when we’re feeling down and that’s especially important on this court, so we just play as hard as we can.”
In the very next game, the boys team followed suit, earning a decisive 61-47 victory over North Salem.
The Tigers—who had not won a Section 1 title since 2019 prior to this past weekend—were led by a 19-point outing from Jack Bamford and 17 points from guard Rocco Briante.
Briante credited head coach Felix Nicodemo for a comprehensive game-plan, noting that it was Tuckahoe’s attention to detail that gave them the edge over North Salem.
“We’re the most prepared team in this league and that’s all on our coach,” said Briante. “We knew they were shooters and they came out and hit two threes, so we started denying them the ball. This was a big opportunity and we made the most of it.”
With sectionals behind them, both the boys and girls teams kept their seasons alive this week, winning their sub-regional matchups against Mount Academy and Pine Plains, respectively.
On Saturday, Tuckahoe’s boys will take on Section 11 Greenpoint at Center Moriches High School on Long Island, while the girls will take on the Long Island champion at Yorktown High School.
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