Scarsdale Boys Basketball Team Outlasts Mamaroneck

When Mamaroneck's varsity basketball team went on a 10-0 run to end the first half and take a 25-20 lead into halftime, they had all the momentum.

Then, Scarsdale came out in the third quarter and scored the final ten points of the third quarter.

What was a 25-20 Mamaroneck lead turned into a 34-31 Scarsdale lead after three quarters, and Scarsdale pulled away from there, knocking down late free throws to secure a 55-49 win over their hated rivals from Mamaroneck at the Tigers' jam-packed Palmer gym on Monday evening, the second to last day of the regular season.

Sam Gruppo was outstanding for Mamaroneck, scoring 16 of his team's 19 points at one point of the first half, including eight straight.

"It's not about me scoring points," the senior said after finishing with 22 points. "We played with great intensity, and played good defense, but we only played two quarters."

Evan Fiedler led the Raiders with 19 points, including a climactic three-pointer from the corner that gave Scarsdale a 48-39 lead with 2:25 left, and caused the junior to offer a fist pump as the Scarsdale cheering section roared.

David Bougard, the 6'4" senior for Scarsdale, had nine points including a rim-rattling two handed dunk that left Mamaroneck shell-shocked in the first quarter, and another one with 5:40 left in the fourth, which gave Scarsdale a six point lead they wouldn't relinquish.

Junior Matt Greenberg added six points for Scarsdale, while senior Greg Garfinkel added five.

Matt Mezansky, who had 28 points for Mamaroneck the last time these two teams met, only had nine, all of them in the second half.

 Raymond Grazi, the 6'5" senior, added 15 points down low for Scarsdale, who severely out-sized the Tigers, especially inside the paint.

"The regular season is over," said Mamaroneck coach Tyrone Carver. "We have to figure out our mistakes and correct them."

"We have to toughen up a little bit and stay in front of guys," said Gruppo, talking about his team's defensive positioning.

Freshman Alex Lanni had 10 points for Mamaroneck, which ends its regular season at 8-10. Scarsdale improves to 9-8 on the year.

The playoffs begin on Thursday with the out-bracket round of the Class AA playoffs, which both Scarsdale and Mamaroneck will participate in. Seeds will be announced on Wednesday, which will determine who will play where. Both schools could get at least one home game.

The first round is Friday, and the second round is Tuesday, Feb. 16. Tuesday's winners will then advance to the County Center for the semifinals the week of Feb. 22.