A dream season for the Eastchester basketball team may have come to an end on Tuesday night, but all the pluck and determination the Eagles had become known for this winter was on full display on the biggest stage in Section 1 basketball.
This week, the No. 6 seed Eagles found themselves in the Westchester County Center, squaring off against No. 2 Peekskill in the Class AA semifinals, facing an opponent whose size and explosiveness helped them get out to a quick start. Leading by as many as 10 points in the fourth quarter, victory seemed all but assured for the Red Devils until the Eagles’ resolve drew the score closer and closer as the clock ticked.
The Eagles knotted the score at 48 with just over a minute left to play and ultimately needed even more late-game heroics, as a put-back by Jake Warnock sent the game to overtime as time expired.
Although the Eagles would eventually fall 62-56 in the overtime period, Warnock said that the team’s second-half rally was simply a matter of mindset.
“Everyone can tell we’re undersized, but it’s not about the size of the player, it’s about the heart,” said the senior. “We just want to go out there, have a good time, and win.”
Warnock led Eastchester with 16 points on the day while teammate Andrew Schultz chipped in 10 of his own. Peekskill was led by 21 from Travis Brown and 17 from Jaden Chavis. The Red Devils will take on Suffern in the Class AA finals on Saturday night after the Mounties edged Yorktown 51-46 in Tuesday’s nightcap.
And although Eastchester’s season came to an end this week, Warnock said he and his teammates will be able to look back on the year as a success; not only did the team secure head coach Fred DiCarlo’s 300th win, they also ran through the Class AA playoffs from the No. 6 seed, making the Westchester County Center for the first time since 2014.
“Honestly, it’s like a dream come true, ever since we were younger, we wanted to play here,” said Warnock. “It’s very intense, but once the game starts going, you lose all that tension and you start playing basketball.”
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