Tigers to Face Section 9 Champ Pine Plains in Regional Semifinal

Okay, the celebration is over for now.

Tuckahoe’s over Haldane in the Section 1 Class C boys’ basketball championship game at the Westchester County Center will be stashed in the album of memories for a bit as business continues this week for the Tigers, who travel to upstate Newburgh to face Section 9 champion Pine Plains Wednesday (March 9) in a state regional semifinal.

The Tigers (18-3) won an emotional 69-59 wild affair with Haldane–getting good grades for effort and production while learning a good lesson in how to keep focus in big games when the game got frantic.

“We are proud of the win here,” said senior guard Sky Williams, who scored 32 in the title game victory. “We have to play our game under control and get ready for the next game.”

The Tigers are no strangers to regional play, having won Class C titles in 2006 and 2008 and Section 1 Class D championships in 1966, 1983 and in 1994, 1995 and 1996. Tuckahoe also won Class C titles in 1974 and 1975 before moving back to Class D.

Pine Plains (16-3) earned its berth in the regional semifinal by topping top-seeded Seward, the defending Section 9 champ, in a 46-45 nail-biter that ended for Seward on a missed 3-pointer.The Bombers, who once played in Section 1 where they won a title in 1966, won their first ever Section 9 title and are on a real high after upsetting Seward.

The victory over Haldane may have helped coach Al Visconti push his “balanced team” philosophy that belies the idea that this year’s Tigers were dependent on leading scorer Sky Williams to carry the scoring load. Senior guard Alex Melendez showed his outside shooting skills and leadership by scoring 18 points in the first half of the title game victory when the Tigers built a 40-20 lead. Williams did score 18 of his own in the second half, but Visconti said that the Tigers’ team defense and athleticism has keyed their success.

“We stress defense and we were able to force (Haldane) into offensive fouls and mistakes,” Visconti said. “We have to play good defense as a team to win and we have more than one option on offense.”

Jason Feuer, the Tigers’ second leading scorer, and Justin Nolan add defense and rebounding strength to the Tigers starting lineup. Kevin Garabitos, Shyheim Nixon and Ryan Mitchell are good defenders who add quickness to the offense.

Pine Plains presents a size problem to the Tigers with sibling inside players 6 ft. 4 in. freshman Tyler Lydon and 6 ft. 7 in. sophomore Zachary Lydon. Tyler had 12 points and 10 rebounds and his brother Zach added 12 points and eight rebounds in the win over Seward. Tigers’ center Jon Jubilee will need to defend inside and rebound to get his guards the ball on the break. Pine Plains senior point guard Marquis VanDeWater is a playmaker and team leader.

Tuckahoe has been quicker and more athletic than most of its opponents this year –add the experience in big games with five of the Tigers having been members of the school’s Section 1 and New York State Class D football champions last fall– and Tuckahoe may have the upper hand as the games become more important.

Look for the Tigers to pressure the Bombers guards up the court and to run when they get a chance. Williams can penetrate and score on anyone and Melendez is a sharp shooter.

A good defensive effort here and the Tigers will advance for further celebrations.