Yorktown falls to Rye in basketball semis

WHITE PLAINS. N.Y.—It was a highly competitive contest between second-seeded Yorktown and third-seeded Rye in the semifinals of the Section 1 Class AA Tournament at the Westchester County Center in White Plains on March 4.

Kaden Gonzalez, playing in his final game in his storied Huskers career, pulled Yorktown, ranked No. 12 in the Class AA state poll, to within one, 40-39, on a three-pointer with a hand in his face from the corner with 1:10 remaining in the game.

“The play developed because we attacked gaps and my team found me,” said Gonzalez, who was recently named All-Section and League I-A Player of the Year. “It felt good to gain some momentum.”

But the Garnets—the No. 16 ranked Class AA team in the state—held on for a 43-41 victory, ending the Huskers’ season.

Gonzalez led all scorers with 18 points.

“I mean, I knew at some moment in time I had to do what I do best and that’s just make plays for me and my team,” Gonzalez said.

The first quarter ended tied at 6-6.

“Both teams needed some time to settle into the game and moment, that’s why the first quarter was such low scoring,” said Yorktown coach Mark Pavella. “Also, I thought we had some good opportunities that we just weren’t able to finish.”

The Garnets outscored the Huskers 14-8 in the second quarter, giving them a 20-14 halftime lead.

“Going into halftime, we knew it was one of our worst halves all year on the offensive end,” Pavella said. “So we were happy to be down just six points. Our defense kept us in the game in the first half.”

Yorktown’s Brian Hansen nailed a trey to cut Rye’s lead to 22-19 with 3:42 remaining in the third quarter.

“We just came out and tried our best to rely on what got us there, our poise,” Hansen said. “I knew my teammates would find me if I was open and that was a momentum shift that we needed to keep it close.”

The defensive affair continued, with Rye leading 27-24 at the end of the third stanza.

Sander Stone (7 points) energized the Husker student body, “The Crop,” with 5:28 remaining in the fourth quarter, when he drilled a three-pointer that put Yorktown up 32-31.

“We ran one of our zone sets and after the screen I found myself open and decided to pull it,” Stone said. “It felt great to take the lead there. We were down the whole game and took one of our first leads in the game. Especially in a low-scoring contest like this one, every bucket matters even more and that three was a big one.”

Rye answered by scoring six of the next eight points to go up 37-34 en route to victory.

Aidan Flynn (7 points, 7 rebounds) helped the Huskers’ cause as well.

“Overall, I am happy with how our team competed,” Pavella said. “Our seniors were such great role models, and they represented our town the right way.”

Gonzalez (captain), Hansen, Flynn, Stone, Ryan Duffy (captain), David Marasevic and Phil Harbolic are the Huskers’ seniors.

While the loss wasn’t the end result the Huskers (18-5) wanted, it couldn’t take away from the tremendous accomplishment of making it to the County Center in the postseason for three straight seasons.

“It meant a lot especially because a lot of people doubted us this year because guys graduated, but it proved that we can still play even with a chip on our shoulder,” said Gonzalez, who played on all three Yorktown teams that made it to White Plains.

Pavella said that getting to the County Center for three straight seasons is a great accomplishment for Yorktown’s program.

“These kids have brought excitement to the town, and we hope to continue to build off the standard that has been set by these young men,” Pavella said. “I can’t thank our senior class enough for their trust and commitment to the basketball program, not only on the court, but in the community.”