In a long-awaited matchup that thrilled the local sports community, Yorktown faced off against Suffern at the Westchester County Center for Class AA’s Basketball Semifinal contest on Tuesday, February 27, 2024. The highly anticipated matchup brought together two of the state’s strongest basketball programs and kept fans in their seats until the final seconds as Suffern narrowly defeated Yorktown with a final score of 51-46.
The theme of the game was defense. With both teams having similar offensive skill sets, it truly came down to whose defense got more stops. Suffern seemed to have taken over aspects of the game, limiting Yorktown to just 15 points in the first half despite the efforts of offensive powerhouses of Senior G Brandon Montero and Junior G Kaden Gonzalez. Regardless, Suffern surely didn’t look pretty on the offensive side themselves, only scoring 19 points as a team at the half. However, their strategic playmaking and slow-paced offense seemed to provide chances to pick apart Yorktown’s tenacious defense. With very few three-point attempts, Suffern used their size in the paint to take advantage of Yorktown’s “small ball” lineup. Although the latter may have been undersized, their energy, complemented by The Crop, Yorktown’s Student Fan Section, allowed them to keep the game within reach with their rebounding and ability to run the fast break.
Despite a slow first half, Yorktown seemed to pick up the pace in the second half. Perhaps there was an increase in motivation from head coach Mark Pavella or from Junior F Philip Harbolic Jr. Regardless, Yorktown was on the verge of a comeback early in the 4th quarter, cutting the lead down to just 5 with the help of Senior G Justin Price’s offensive production. With Yorktown inching closer, Suffern seemed to have been affected by the pressure Most prominently, Suffern’s old-school pace of play had been thrown out the window as they began to speed up their offense, leading to costly turnovers and a surplus of fastbreak points for Yorktown. Nevertheless, a sped-up pace seemed to take a toll on Yorktown as their 6-man rotation began to look fatigued.
While both teams surely felt the effects of fighting head-to-head for just under 32 minutes straight, the game came down to the wire with just under a minute remaining. Yorktown, never giving up, brought in a full-court press to possibly make some magic happen while losing by just a few points. Their last-minute efforts clearly worked as their aggressive defense allowed them to steal the ball from Suffern several times, highlighted by the efforts of Senior G Thomas Costello.
With just about 30 seconds remaining in the game and just a 5-point differential, offensive possessions became nonexistent as Yorktown would be forced to foul in order to stop the clock, providing Suffern with a large number of free throws. Suffern’s ability to keep their composure under pressure allowed them to sink several pivotal free throws, leading them to a 51-46 win over Yorktown to advance to Class AA’s finals.
Regardless of the outcome, Yorktown proved themselves as one of the most dangerous basketball programs in the county. With a 20-3 record, Yorktown had their highest winning season in history and also secured their first league title in 15 years, certainly achievements that are worth being proud of. As the season comes to an end, congratulations to Yorktown’s Seniors on a historic season: Sean Coney, Thomas Costello, Troy Diaz, Drew Duncan, Billy Feeks, Garred Ferguson, Joe Granitto, Brandon Montero, Owen Mooney, and Justin Price. Moving forward, the future looks bright for Yorktown’s basketball as they will look to repeat, and even surpass, the success they had in this past 2023-2024 season.
