Big First Half for Hollow Secures the Victory

An impressive showing in the first half brought the Sleepy Hollow Headless Horsemen to victory on the court yesterday as the Solomon Schechter Lions roared with defeat.

The game's final score saw the Horsemen with 63 points against Solomon Schechter's 41.

The aggressive offense of Sleepy Hollow's top scorers in the first half paid off, with a fiery Bobby Small leading in the first quarter with an impressive ten points and a total of 12 before halftime.

Numbers 11 and three, Justin Best and Joe Scarpati, led in the second quarter with a combined total of seven points.

When the halftime buzzer sounded, Best had racked up seven points and Scapati six, bringing the Horsemen's combined score to 41, compared to the Lion's 14.

Sleepy Hollow also led with the most fouls in the first half, giving Solomon Schechter scoring opportunities that they weren't able to capitalize on.

Lions' Coach John Rappaport hoped the boys could use their chances at free-throws more effectively in the second half of the game.

"We've had some decent opportunities to put the ball in the basket; unfortunately it hasn't gone in for us. We missed a bunch of free-throws," Rappaport lamented during halftime.

In the game's heated second half, the determined boys of Solomon Schecter gave a stronger showing, scoring 27 points to Sleepy Hollow's 22.

Number 23, David Teich, scored ten points in the second half. Number 20, Mike Grenstein, led the final quarter with eight points. Two of those points were the free-throws Rappaport spoke about – but it wouldn't be enough for the win.

Ultimately, the Horsemen's high-powered charge through the starting gates was enough to secure their spot at the top for the rest of the game.

While their hard-hitting offense paid off, Head Coach Tony Baxter said the team should always strive to avoid breaking down in the second half. He said it's paramount to maintain a strong defense throughout the game.

"We're not the biggest team, so I think we have to work on rebounding... giving the other team only one look at the basket, because if we give them multiple looks then we get into trouble," Baxter said.

Coach Rappaport applauded the speed and athleticism of the Horsemen, and said they had been good competition this year.

"At our place we were up 2 at halftime, same teams. We ended up losing the game, but we were right there," Rappaport said, referring to a past game with the Horsemen on the Lions' home turf.

As for Sleepy Hollow's Horsemen, Baxter says he's happy with the game tonight and is looking forward to future success with the team.

"It's been a good season so far. I think we're continuing to work, we're continuing to get better. We're continuing to get to know each other as individuals," he said.