They might be young, but the future is looking bright for the Tuckahoe girls basketball team. On Thursday night, the reigning Class C champions showed that while the faces might change, the expectations do not, even in defeat.
Taking on a tough Irvington squad and falling 59-41 at home, the Tigers proved their mettle, as the as they hung tight with the Bulldogs until late in the second half, cutting the lead to six in the third quarter. 
The 18-point difference at the final whistle hardly spoke to the competitive play throughout, something head coach Silvio DiSalvatore speaks to his team’s dogged tenacity.
Chloe Angello had 17 points and 12 boards for Tuckahoe, while Juliana Manginelli added eight of her own. Aly Raimondo had 21 for Irvington. Both Angello and Manginelli have impressed in the early-goings of the season, something that bodes well for the young Tiger team.
Irvington (5-1) has been dominant in December, its lone loss coming to then-unbeaten Ardsley.
“We’re very young and the good thing about being young is that you’re feisty and aggressive,” said DiSalvatore. “I can’t ask for anything more, energy-wise, but I think that as time goes on and we get a little more game experience, we’ll make adjustments and begin to see a little better what’s going on out there.
DiSalvatore has been pleased with the play of his underclassmen-led squad thus far, and said that games against experienced contenders like Irvington will only serve to get the team ready for its inevitable postseason push.
Currently, the Tigers are a game over .500, sitting at 5-4 on the season with all four losses coming to larger schools like Irvington, Ossining and reigning Class A champion Walter Panas. DiSalvatore fully expects his squad to be in contention for a Section 1 crown this year and says that squaring off against larger schools will be an invaluable opportunity to practice late-game scenarios that will be important come March.
“Right now, everything we do, our strength of schedule, all goes to making sure we are prepared for the County Center,” he said. “Watching where these girls are, even now, from where we started, you can tell they’ve made a lot of progress and are very committed to that goal.”
