Sleepy Hollow Boys Basketball Team Wins O'Hara Summer Tournament

Call it a memorable sendoff.

The Sleepy Hollow The Sleepy Hollow boys basketball team delivered a stunning 40-32 upset over heavy favorite Walter Panas at Irvington Scenic Park in Tony Baxter’s last-ever stretch on the sidelines.

In Baxter's going away party, Sleepy bid adieu to their former coach with an improbable tourney championship.

The gritty Horsemen avenged a putrid loss—Walter Panas sabotaged them to the tune of a 49-32 washout back on July 6—en route to their first-ever O’Hara Summer Basketball League championship.

The Horsemen reeled off a timely tear in the fourth quarter, providing some separation in the game’s waning minutes.

When the 40 minutes finally expired, the unlikely champions created a jubilant pile-on at center court, swarming each other as bees do nectar. Some flirted with the idea of giving Baxter, who has funneled the keys to the kingdom down to newly-acquired coach Rob Rizzo, a Gatorade shower.

The early summer season agony turned to championship ecstasy. 

The tight-knit core hoisted the O’Hara trophy in an unforgettable moment. While the competition is watered down and it’s still only the summer league, Sleepy hopes the tourney title is a precise portent of what’s to come.

“We hope this carries into the winter,” said senior Harley Falasca, who poured in a game-high 23 points on a steady compilation of drives, free throws, and a pair of high-arching treys.

“Holding up that trophy was special. Realistically, we want to be holding up that Gold Ball in the Section 1 championship and that’s really the end goal. Tonight, however, was a wake-up call for all of us. It allows us to understand what we can accomplish. I mean, it shows us that we can compete, we can do it. Our theme this summer has been ‘family.’ We’re all in this together. We’re just a functional, ego-free unit. There’s no one person worrying about individual totals or playing time. We’re all in it together, we all know our roles and how to play together and what we have to do to win.”

The guard triumvirate of Ronny Rodriguez, Falasca, and L.J. Garrant deposited timely medium range jumpers and three-pointers during the high-pressure sequences. Sleepy Hollow’s well-oiled offensive machine thrived by permeating the teeth of Panas’ defense on relentless forays to the basket.

Freddy Bertrand, a noted ball hawk who can defend all 94 feet, cranked up the defensive pressure and created offense. Christian Berenguer, another shooter, displayed both scoring and dishing aspects as Sleepy coiled out of a four-point halftime deficit.

The Hollow steered a singing pressure cooker at the free throw line, knocking back six of their final seven before a sea of spectators who took in the under-the-lights dogfight.

The two teams seesawed throughout the first 12 minutes of the second half, trading jabs.

Then, Sleepy conquered demons of the past while subsequently exacting revenge on Walter Panas. For the second consecutive game, Jovanny Nunez emerged as a monster masquerading as a man on the boards. Nunez helped the strongly partisan crowd forget about Sleepy’s deficiencies in height, manning the glass at a rate that would make even Mr. Clean envious.

Nunez, along with teammates Tom Fahey and Nick Vallo, boxed out and outmuscled bigger, taller opponents throughout the summer. Ultimately, it was Harley who revved Sleepy’s never-say-die engine.

The 6-foot, 145-pound sniper has dispelled the notion that he’s a one-dimensional player. Falasca shouldered the tag of shootist at the start of the summer but has added on to his all-around package.

He’s taken the ball to the rack, absorbed the punishment unscathed in the driving lanes, and doled out assists. He had plenty of help Wednesday night.

“Our chemistry has grown so much,” said Garrant, who played hounding defense, snatched rebounds, and did everything but sell hot dogs and french fries at the intermission.

“Everyone on this team just knows their role and executes that role. I definitely envisioned this win. We knew we could get back at them, we never stopped. We’ve all been playing together since at least the fourth grade. We know each other’s style and we know where we are on the court. It was definitely good for coach (Baxter) to leave on this note."

Both the current and former coach addressed the team following the final.

Rizzo, a Spencer Mayfield disciple who resuscitated an ailing program at Gorton, was particularly pleased with the team’s heart and hustle.

“It was coach Baxter’s last game coaching us and in the semifinals (against Bronxville) it was coach (Desmond) Turner’s last game," Falasca said. "At the end of the game, there was an emotional speech. But hey, one door shuts, another one opens. We’re really excited about having an accomplished coach like coach Rizzo take over. At the same time, it was nice to leave coach Baxter with this final win.”

Now that’s what’s called a memorable sendoff.