Huskers survive Clarkstown South

No. 2 Yorktown faced No. 15 Clarkstown South in its opening round Section 1 Class AA Tournament game Feb. 21, and the contest had all the tension of a March Madness matchup.

The Vikings were all that and more, leading the Huskers by five points early in the fourth quarter but Yorktown rallied to secure a 55-50 victory and a berth in the quarterfinals, where it was scheduled to host No. 7 Mahopac on Feb. 25.  

“The kids stuck together and continued to defend to keep us in the game when down in the fourth,” said Yorktown coach Mark Pavella, whose team won its 34th straight home game. “We rebounded the ball well also down the stretch.” 

Connor Morhardt led Yorktown with 24 points and 6 rebounds, scoring 11 in the first quarter, including two 3-pointers, to give the Huskers a 17-14 lead after one quarter.

“Our whole team was really pumped to play this game and we had great energy,” Morhardt said.  

Yorktown (19-2) maintained its advantage, leading 26-22 at halftime before the visitors came back and took a 43-38 lead on two made foul shots with 6:55 to go in the game. 

The Huskers, who garnered honorable mention in the state rankings, answered by outscoring the Vikings 17-7 the rest of the way to garner the victory. 

Franklin Ringel (9 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists) helped the Huskers secure the victory with two key plays, the first a one-hander in the lane that gave Yorktown a 51-47 lead with 1:28 remaining.

“I knew the team needed a bucket and we discussed pregame that if the defender was in front of me that I was going to put my hands up and go to work and that’s exactly what I did,” Ringel said. 

On Clarkstown South’s next possession, Ringle blocked a shot from a Vikings’ player attempting to go in for the layup.  

“As for the block, I picked up my fourth foul early in the fourth quarter and knew that a foul by me was the last thing our team needed in a situation like tonight,” Ringel said. “I saw him drive and just stood still with my hands up and ended up blocking the shot.  

“Both of those plays show that our team has a good understanding of the game and we know how to execute plans by the coaches or even by the players on the floor. I did what was needed to secure the win for the team and in the end that’s all that matters.” 

Also helping the Huskers secure the win was Morhardt, who made 7 of 8 from the charity stripe in the final quarter. 

“Earlier in the season I missed two clutch free throws and I wanted to make sure that didn’t happen again,” Morhardt said. “So I’ve been practicing to make sure I’m prepared for moments like those.” 

Colin Worden (12 points, 6 rebounds), Tyler Galante (5 points, 9 rebounds), Sean Davis (3 points), and Jake Sgobbo (2 points) contributed to the Huskers’ victory as well.  

“We knew Clarkstown South was going to be a hard team to beat and they played a tough game but our coaches prepared us very well for this game and our whole team stayed in it the entire time,” Morhardt said.