Clarkstown South Ends Greeley's Season with 64-56 Playoff Upset

The Horace Greeley Quakers' season came to an end with a 64-56 upset to the Clarkstown South Vikings in the Section 1 Class AA matchup. The loss, in which the 14-seeded Vikings kept the momentum for much of play, was an abrupt end to the season for third-seeded Greeley.

The Quakers started things facing an enthusiastic home crowd. Just before the opening tipoff, Greeley head coach Dave Fernandes told his players to turn around and face the crowd.

"Look at them" he said. "They're here for you.  They've been here all year. You're playing for them."

The packed Greeley gym was loud as usual as the matchup got underway. But the crowd, dressed in their "Sixth Man" tee shirts, was quickly quieted as the Vikings came out strong, pressing the Quakers early in making steals and forcing turnovers. By the end of the first quarter, Clarkstown had taken a 16-10 lead. The teams traded baskets in the second quarter and led by Mike McCahey's 13 points, the Vikings took the same six-point lead into the locker room at the half up 29-23.

As the second half got underway, the Quakers quickly battled back led by Matt Townsend, taking the lead with a minute to go in the third quarter. Townsend's slam dunk that put the Quakers up by four brought the crowd to its feet with a thunderous roar.

However, while the game stayed tight and the volume of the crowd grew louder, Clarkstown South's pressure forced the Quakers into mistakes and the Vikings regained the lead and never looked back. Fouling their opponents and sending them to the line, the Quakers had hoped to climb back into the game but the Vikings hit the majority of their free throws down the stretch, while Townsend's repeated three-point shot attempts clanged off the rim.

McCahey led all scorers with 30 points and Townsend, in the final game of his Greeley career, led the Quakers with 24.