When the final buzzer sounded at the Vision Veterans Arena on Friday afternoon, Mamaroneck’s players held their heads high, knowing they had left it all on the court. The Tigers had just seen a dream season come to an end in the Class AAA state semifinals but the fact that they were even in a position to compete for a state title meant that this was a group that made history.
On March 20, Mamaroneck squared off against Christian Brothers Academy (Albany) in Binghamton, facing their biggest test of the season against a Brothers team that came into their semifinal matchup with a perfect record. The Tigers hung tough for three quarters until the Brothers opened up the fourth with a 20-2 run that effectively put the game out of reach for the Section 1 champs.
CBA’s Jayden Osinski scored a game-high 22 points for the Brothers, who would go on to complete the perfect season andwin the state title on Saturday night with a win over Fairport. Will Plunkett paced the Tigers with 17 of his own.
But while the Tigers may have come up short in their quest for a NYS title, the season was anything for a disappointment for this Mamaroneck crew. Buoyed by a talented cast of veterans, The Tigers stormed through Section 1 this year, capturing the first gold ball in program history and going on to win a regional crown with a win over Long Island’s Bay Shore last week.
After the game, head coach Tyrone Carver Jr. credited his senior-heavy team for the incredible run and praised this group’s dedication to improving each day.
“This group of guys helped bring our program to a whole new level,” said Carver. “It hurts, but at the end of the day, we’ll sit back and reflect on this and understand what we did for this program.
“We not only made ourselves proud, but we made our parents, our families, our community proud too,” he added. “We gave everything we had every single game, and we made it to the state final four.”
As for Friday’s showing against CBA, Carver said it was simply a case of Mamaroneck running into a team that was clicking in all facets of the game.
“You have to give tons of credit to CBA, they made more plays than we did, and we had a few turnovers and things like that,” he explained. “They had the better team today and they deserved that win.”
Now, with the dream season at an end, the Tigers will look to build on the success of the last few years, and carry on the proud tradition of the team’s 10 graduating seniors.
“There no greater example of what the program is than what these 10 seniors have done, what Will Plunkett has done, what Brandon Burrell has done,” said Carver. “These younger guys have had an up-close seat to watch greatness and I hope that they can take this experience and be determined enough to carry on this legacy.”
