Lead Stories, Sports

Tuckahoe takes on big schools at holiday tourney

by Mike Smith

For a Tuckahoe team that has spent the last three years making deep playoff runs to the New York State Semifinals, it would seem that the only way to prepare for the postseason push is to punch above your weight and take on some of the large-school powers dominating the Section 1 landscape. 

That was the thought behind the Tigers’ participation in the Richard McNichol Annual Christmas Tournament at Albertus Magnus, rounding out a field that included the reigning Class A state champion Falcons and large-school contenders Ursuline and Clarkstown South.

Chloe Angello takes a shot against Clarkstown South on Dec. 29.

In the tourney opener on Dec. 29, the Tigers fell to the Vikings 66-39, in a game that proved a significant jump in opposition for the Class D Tigers, who entered the tournament with a record of 6-1 on the year.

Tuckahoe coach Silvio DiSalvatore said that the loss was an instructive one, and that games like this will prepare Tuckahoe for its inevitable postseason push. 

“This is the kind of competition we are hopefully going to see,” said DiSalvatore. “I told the girls that we deserve to be here, we deserve to take on the top of the top, and that all of this is for March.”

Clarkstown’s Isabella Espindola scored a game-high 17 points for the Vikings, with 15 of those points coming on second-half threes. Chloe Angello had 13 to pace Tuckahoe. The Tigers jumped out to an early lead but ultimately couldn’t keep pace with the Vikings’ deft touch from beyond the arc.

DiSalvatore credited his team for it’s relentlessness, however, noting that the squad’s high-motor will cause problems for teams this season. 

“That’s my favorite thing about this team; they don’t play the scoreboard, they play possessions,” said the head coach. “Thats’s the thing I’m most proud of, and that’s going to help them down the road.”

The Tigers will be back in action on Jan. 5, when they take on Haldane at home. As the team gears up for a January filled with league games, DiSalvatore believes his team will continue to gel as they look for year another Class C title. 

“We’ve been really good so far, and I don’t think we’ve even consistently shot the ball all that well,” he said. “If we start shooting well from outside—which I know we will—it’s going to be a very fun year.”