In spite
of a disappointing 4-13 start to their season, the Ardsley (N.Y.) boys’ basketball
team needed just one win in its final two games to sneak into the
playoffs. In their first chance, the
Panthers battled Bronxville on February 4, but their woes continued as they
lost by 10.
A large crowd was on hand for Senior
Night in Ardsley as the Panthers hosted the Broncos. The Broncos, a non-league opponent, entered
the contest with a 7-8 record, and were led on this day by a trio of sharp
shooters: Matt Troja, Derek Richter, and Chris Marasco.
The squads played each other evenly
throughout the first half, though Ardsley struggled to avoid turnovers against
a Bronxville press. Troja led the way
for the Broncos with 10 points in the half, but Ardsley finished with an 8-0
run and went into the locker room with a 30-26 advantage.
Ardsley’s turnover problems began to
hurt them in the third as the Broncos shot almost flawlessly. Bronxville outscored Ardsley 20-9 in the
quarter, and the Panthers trailed, 46-39, to start the fourth. Were it not for the strong inside play of
Dakota Dinaso, the Panthers would not have been able to keep it that close.
After two scoreless minutes in the
fourth, senior Nicholas Cerchia hit the Panthers’ lone three pointer from the top
of the key to pull Ardsley within four, 46-42.
This was as close as they would get.
The Panthers missed several shots from point blank range and allowed too
many offensive rebounds in the final minutes, and Bronxville went on a 9-0 run
to put the game out of reach. When the
final buzzer sounded, the Broncos had come away victorious, 59-49.
Dinaso and senior Chris Burrowes
scored 13 apiece, while Cerchia contributed nine. Meanwhile, Troja, Richter and Marasco scored
20, 17, and 16 points, respectively. The
Broncos’ shooters were stellar from the field and at the free-throw line, where
they nailed 14 of 16.
The Panthers will have one more shot
to make the playoffs when they take on the Eastchester Eagles this week.
