Coming off a disappointing loss to rival Tuckahoe last week, Bronxville’s basketball team entered their Jan. 6 meeting with Rye Neck with one goal: play well defensively. And although it took a while for the Broncos to find their footing on the defensive end, a strong second-half effort propelled them to a convincing 62-34 win over their host.
Bronxville head coach Brian Senior is hoping to see that same defensive commitment from his team as the second half of the year rolls on.
Through one quarter, it appeared as though the Broncos and Panthers were geared up for a wild shootout, as the first quarter ended with Bronxville holding onto a 20-16 lead. But the Broncos soon began to pull away behind a 21-point effort from Jack Reilly. Senior said it was the team’s performance on the other end that made the win possible.
“Early on, we were content with trading baskets and we didn’t buckle down defensively,” the head coach said. “In the second quarter we stopped hitting shots, but our defense kept us in the game.”
According to Senior, maintaining intensity had been a problem for the Broncos (5-5) throughout the season.
“We had a meeting earlier on in the week to talk about our energy level on the court and on the bench, and how it was correlating to whether we were making baskets or not,” Senior said. “There are going to be peaks and valleys offensively, but we had to keep making defensive stops and keeping our energy level up.”
It seems to be a lesson the Broncos have taken to heart. Bronxville followed up its victory over Rye Neck with 68-28 thrashing of Keio on Jan. 9. Reilly again led the Broncos, netting 15 points in the win, and Matt Toal and Alston Tarry also each had 13.
“Our goal, if it’s possible, is to hold teams under 30 points,” Senior said. “I think our guys are starting to understand that what happens on the defensive end can translate into our offense.”
Bronxville will see both Rye Neck and Keio again this week, after press time, before facing a still test against Edgemont on Jan. 17. On Jan. 9, Edgemont overpowered Clark Academy, topping the Knights 83-55.
“We get all of our advance scouting done early in the season, but as far as the team goes, we keep it game by game,” Senior said. “But we will start putting things in place in practice now where it comes down to defensive communication, and hopefully see that transition into points on the offensive end.”
