The return of Section I playoff basketball to the Westchester County Center proved to be a bittersweet one for Tuckahoe’s boys on Tuesday night, as the No. 3 seed Tigers team fell in overtime 63-54 to No. 2 Haldane in the Class C semifinals. But for a young Tigers team that returns most of its key players, Tuesday’s loss could be a seminal moment in the development of a group that is sure to challenge for a gold ball in 2019.

The Tigers started strong, led by good performances from standout junior Malik Moore-Crooks (21 points, 12 rebounds) and freshman Mekhi Clark (10 points, 8 rebounds), but Haldane dug in in the second half, steadily chipping away at the Tiger lead and making the most of Tuckahoe miscues.

Trailing 51-49 with 12.4 seconds left in regulation, the Blue Devils inbounded the ball and hoisted up a missed shot attempt, but Haldane center Liam Irwin was there for a putback that knotted the score as time expired.

The momentum remained squarely behind Haldane in the overtime period, as the Blue Devils outscored the Tigers 12-3 to punch their ticket to the Class C title game against Hamilton.

According to Tuckahoe head coach Al Visconti, the game-tying fourth quarter shot was demoralizing, but also the culmination of some second-half troubles that allowed the Blue Devils to climb back into the game. After heading into halftime with a 31-26 lead, the Tigers were held to just 20 points in the second half as they struggled to find any rhythm.

“It was deflating,” he said. “But we kind of shot ourselves in the foot with the turnovers and the missed foul shots and missed box-outs.”

Despite the loss, Visconti was quick to heap praise on his young team which finished 11-10 on the year despite losing top star Alex Williams to an ACL injury sustained during the football season.

“I told the guys I was so proud of the way they stuck together all year, even after we lost our top player before the season even began,” Visconti said. “I don’t think anyone expected much from us, but these guys put in a great effort and even though we were a young team, we still made it to the Final Four.”

Next season, the Tigers should be poised for even more success, as they return Moore-Crooks, who led Section I in scoring this season, Clark, who shined as a freshman, and a host of other players who played big roles.

Visconti hopes the players coming back will take note of what they will need to do to get over the hump next season.

“One of the things we preached about all year was that fundamentals get magnified when you get into playoff basketball,” he said. “And unfortunately, it was painful today, but hopefully they learn from this.”

As for the 11th hour deal between area schools and the county that afforded his team the opportunity to play its semifinal round at the County Center, Visconti said that he was glad his young charges got the chance to play at least one game at Westchester’s most famous arena.

“It’s a great place to play, but it’s a real painful place to lose because of the sense of finality,” he said. “There are only 20 teams that get to play here each year, and they were one of them, so it’s a great chance for these guys.”